The platform “IDA – Integrated Design Atlas” is launched

The platform “IDA – Integrated Design Atlas” is launched 

ETH Zurich, together with nine project partners, launches “IDA – Integrated Design Atlas”: a new digital knowledge platform for ecologically sustainable building. Supported by SwissEnergy, the platform was initiated in cooperation with leading Swiss universities and the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA). It provides climate-relevant knowledge and makes a tangible contribution to implementing Switzerland’s Energy Strategy 2050. 

IDA is available to architects, educators, and students. It is a digital environment that offers interdisciplinary and practice-oriented access to knowledge about ecological and social sustainability in construction – across language and institutional boundaries. The platform accelerates training and continuing education in climate-conscious building design and contributes substantially to advancing a future-oriented building culture. 

Key themes include sufficiency, renewable energy, local resources, circularity, and comfort. Through open exchange of knowledge and experience, and its integration into education, IDA fosters a qualified community of architectural professionals equipped to design and implement climate-friendly buildings. The goal is to make socially and ecologically responsible construction second nature – as an integral part of architectural practice. The platform thus supports both Switzerland’s Energy Strategy 2050 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

IDA is based on a platform first developed for educational purposes at ETH Zurich’s Chair of Architecture and Building Systems. The shared goal: to strengthen sustainability in teaching and practice and make up-to-date specialist knowledge accessible across institutions. Their collective expertise gives IDA both depth and national reach. 

A digital space to advance climate-responsive architecture 

Architecture schools and professionals today require specific competencies in climate, energy, comfort, circularity, and sustainability to meet the evolving demands of the profession. IDA provides a shared digital environment offering tools, use cases, and support for climate-conscious design in early planning phases. 

IDA enhances the ability of all participants to explore new approaches by creating an open, interconnected space for research, the building industry, and academic institutions. Knowledge from teaching and research at leading Swiss universities is consolidated, curated, and made directly accessible to practitioners, students, and instructors. 

The platform includes features such as workshops, networking events, topic-specific sessions, and content from existing curricula. It is built on Moodle—a well-established, open-source learning system used worldwide. This foundation ensures IDA’s agility and accessibility. The four core navigation areas are: 

• Case Studies: presents ‘good practice’ projects with descriptive text, plans, and images. 

• Toolbox: offers a collection of digital tools to support the design process.

• Stories: features in-depth blog-style contributions related to case studies and tools.

• Community: supports professional exchange, peer-to-peer advice, and news sharing. 

In the long term, it is planned that the SIA will take over responsibility for the platform, contributing to its structural integration into Swiss building practice. The partner universities will remain actively involved, embedding IDA in their curricula and continuously developing its content. 

IDA is available in four languages at www.idaida.ch. 

“IDA – Integrated Design Atlas” 

Project partners: 

• Berner Fachhochschule (BFH) 
• Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH Zürich) 
• Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz (FHNW) 
• Haute école d’ingénierie et d’architecture de Fribourg (HEIA-FR) 
• Hochschule Luzern (HSLU) 
• Ostschweizer Fachhochschule (OST) 
• Schweizerischer Ingenieur- und Architektenverein (SIA) 
• Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI) 
• Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) 
• Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften (ZHAW)