Inscriptions of Maintenance

The movie Fatima portrays a single mother from the Maghreb performing demanding labor to secure her daughters’ social mobility, mirroring institutions like ETH Zurich where structural maintenance relies on marginalized women working during the early hours of the morning. This labor often utilizes toxic chemical detergents that preserve architecture at the expense of human health.

The proposed design intervention reimagines the HIL building by challenging institutional hierarchies. By introducing decentralized cores that shift toward the facade and rise above ground, maintenance facilities are opened to natural light and social life. These cleaning and learning hubs intertwine maintenance with educational environments, breaking down physical barriers between students and cleaning staff.

Through the use of Tadelakt—a Moroccan lime plaster requiring specialized, pH-neutral care—the cleaner’s role shifts to a skilled, protective craft. Cleaners become sources of expertise, sharing knowledge of material care with the academic community. Maintenance transforms into a collective ritual, integrating users into the building’s care.

The cleaner is reimagined as a curator of aging and a primary consultant for architectural longevity. Ultimately, this spatial reconfiguration formally recognizes that study is, fundamentally, a collective intellectual practice.

Master Thesis Spring 2026

Project by: Rosina Maibach Teaching Team: Anna Puigjaner, Pol Esteve Castelló, He Shen 何珅, Ethel Baraona Pohl, Lisa Maillard, Paule Perron, Valentina Noce. In Collaboration with Guillaume Habert and He Yufei (BUK).

Images 1, 2, 13, 14: Luís Úrculo