Alumni Portrait Bettina Komminoth EN

BETTINA KOMMINOTH

DEGREE

Dipl. Arch. FH MAS Scenography ZHdK CAS Project Management Construction HSLU

STUDY PROGRAMME AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LIECHTENSTEIN

1998 – 2003 University of Applied Sciences Liechtenstein

YOU COMPLETED YOUR ARCHITECTURE STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LIECHTENSTEIN 18 YEARS AGO. WHAT WERE THE STAGES OF YOUR CAREER ENTRY? I did an apprenticeship as a draughtswoman and also worked during my part-time studies, so it was a smooth transition into the working world. After graduating from the FH Liechtenstein I looked for a temporary job in Holland and worked in a small office in Rotterdam for a few months. After that I blindly applied to several larger offices in Zurich and Basel. Pool Architekten was looking for someone to renovate and extension of the Lochergut business centre in Zurich.

I worked on this project for several years. It was complex building in existing structures and a nice challenge for me personally as a young architect.

WHAT DO YOU DO TODAY?

Associate and Project Manager

My job as an architect/associate involves not only architectural work on the projects but also a commitment to the projects, I am also involved in staff training, internal knowledge transfer and gender equality and reconciliation. I regularly organise internal lectures: in the “whirlpool” we have inspiring contributions from various related disciplines.

COMPANY

WHAT ASPECTS OF YOUR CURRENT JOB DO YOU ENJOY MOST? WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?

CURRENT POSITION

pool Architects in Zurich

In the area of project work, I like the phase when construction is also taking place the best.

I find the profession of a practising architect fulfilling. It is a privilege to be in a planning and realisation process and to be able to help shape how something is built that will leave its mark on the environment for a long time. Architects have a great influence on our building culture, and that motivates me.

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« IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO BE INVOLVED IN THE PLANNING AND REALISATION PROCESS AND TO BE ABLE TO SHAPE HOW SOMETHING IS BUILT. » BETTINA KOMMINOTH

WHICH SKILLS ACQUIRED AT UNIVERSITY DO YOU RELY ON THE MOST? It was a while ago... But in my memory, the experiences of the first group work and discussions about architecture are still present. That’s when we learned to compromises and tried to understand the other opinions. Competences such as the ability to work in a team are essential in our profession.

WHAT DECISIONS DURING YOUR STUDIES WOULD YOU RATHER NOT HAVE MADE? When I came back from my Erasmus year in Paris, it was clear to me that I didn’t want to work as much next to my studies any more. For the first two years I had worked up to 80 %.

During the day in the office and in the evenings in the lectures. I then wanted to concentrate more on my studies. Maybe I should have done that before to be able to benefit more from the study time.

WOULD YOU SAY IN RETROSPECT THAT IT WAS HELPFUL TO FIRST COMPLETE AN APPRENTICESHIP AS A STRUCTURAL DRAUGHTSWOMAN?

« ARCHITECTS HAVE A GREAT INFLUENCE ON OUR BUILDING CULTURE, THAT MOTIVATES ME. » BETTINA KOMMINOTH

For me personally, the apprenticeship was the right path. During this time, I got to know all the trades related to construction. That certainly left its mark on me. At “pool Architekten” we have different job profiles. People with a university background and people who come from more technical schools. In my opinion, this kind of mix is important for the quality of our work and is enriching in terms of cooperation and development.

IN WHAT DIRECTION DO YOU WANT TO DEVELOP PROFESSIONALLY? At the beginning of this year I completed a further education course in project management for construction at the HSLU. I would like to be able to apply these skills more in order to gain experience and and confidence in this area as well. Mentoring is also topic that has interested me for a long time in the context of knowledge transfer and the further development of employees and that I would like to explore in greater depth.

WHAT TIPS WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS WHEN CHOOSING A COURSE OF STUDY? You should certainly try to get to know the different facets and directions in our profession before you study and for example apply for an internship in an office. Depending on the office, you can work in a very versatile way as an architect. This profession brings with it exciting possibilities in which direction you would like to develop further.

Interview: Samantha Zogg. The interview was conducted in writing in June 2021.

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