Investigating the Atmosphere at the Collegium Helveticum

This is a brief virtual interview with me based on my investigation of the  Atmosphere during my Senior Fellowship at the Collegium Helveticum. This is the original submission, published in a slightly shortened version in the Annual Report of the Collegium Helveticum 2024.

Why did you choose to investigate the Atmosphere of the Collegium Helveticum?

My current geographical research interest focuses on the affective and emotional meaning of places, and how people experience these places, or short: on what places do to people and what people do with places. The functionality of a place is one thing but the ‘atmosphere’ of a place is another thing. The atmosphere often makes the real difference for places to be effective. As a scientist I am very interested in academic places, and what makes them successful. The Collegium was, therefore, a great opportunity to study this academic hotspot.

Can you explain what you mean by Atmosphere?

Atmosphere is a concept coined by phenomenologists, like Hermann Schmitz and Gernot Böhme, which describes not just the individual feelings of a person at a specific place, but the full assemblage of different aspects such as individual emotions and moods, as well as aesthetic qualities of the material setting, the cultural heritage of the place and background of the people using it as well as the social interactions which take place at such a location.

Does the Atmosphere at the Collegium differ substantially from other academic places such as usual university departments?

Yes, this was a bit of a surprise to me, that most fellows stated that this is a huge difference. Again, maybe not functionally but mainly atmospherically. So an office is not just an office… The Collegium is e.g. very special because of its multidisciplinary nature, implying that most fellows are from different disciplines, and therefore are not direct disciplinary peers. Of course, at a common university Department one might be collaborating with nice disciplinary colleagues, but implicitly they are to a certain degree also competitors. At the Collegium you only deal with fellows from other disciplines, who are very respectful even though they sometimes can pose uneasy questions, because of their different perspectives. This creates a very open and relaxed atmosphere, which makes it easy to focus and be productive, while the uneasy questions also stimulate creativity and open new horizons. It provides a real free space.

Is this the same for all fellows?

No, of course not, every fellow, enters the Collegium in a specific mood, which affects how the atmosphere is experienced, and which might also vary from day to day or from the beginning of the fellowship to the end of the fellowship. I, e.g. also interviewed a fellow who broad the tense and competitive mood which she was used to from her regular department with her into the Collegium, and did not experience the Collegium as a special liberating place. Another fellow, because of the cultural traditions from her home country, found it less easy to accommodate to the atmosphere at the collegium, even though for her as well this was a horizon-widening experience. So the mood in which they experience the atmosphere is very individual and often also changes throughout their fellowship at the Collegium.

This all seems to be about social relations and less about the place itself…

The Collegium is located at an iconic place. The former Observatory at which the Collegium is at home is constitutive of the atmosphere. It is a beautiful place, but, in comparison with regular university buildings, also a bit awkward, with its many unusual multi-purpose rooms, its roof terrace and exhibition basement. But that, like the uneasy questions of the other fellows, provokes alternative ways of doing and thinking. The aesthetics relate to the original ideal of a research university (‘Bildungsideal’). The long spiral staircase climbing up to the main observatory had a strong symbolic meaning for most fellows. They associated it somehow with the ivory tower, but also with disorientation in the positive sense of the word. Also, the open and friendly office of the director of the Collegium, where many meetings among fellows took place, played a special role in setting the Collegium atmosphere. Sometimes, beyond working time, one could also hear the soft cello music resounding from that room, as part of the homely atmosphere of that place. The whole building and place is perceived as an oasis within the dense University Quarter of Zurich. The materiality and aesthetics of the place are not separable from the events and people inhabiting the building. The shared offices provoke an atmosphere of community, and as one fellow expressed it: “If one did not hear the loud laughter of one of the this-years fellows one would really miss it”. At the same time, the building allows moments of seclusion and concentration, like during a yoga session on the rooftop terrace, or in the library in the basement. The total atmosphere at the Collegium is, therefore, a real assemblage of different sub-atmospheres in different parts of the premises, which are at the same time also part of the atmosphere in the University Quarter, the city as a whole, while also representing a bit of typical ‘Swissness’.

Does this research on the atmosphere also provide hints for further improvements at the Collegium?

Because of the many different aspects which play a role in the atmosphere of the Collegium, there are no single measures of which one can easily predict the impact. The current style in which the Collegium is run, with its focus on academic freedom and respectful informality, stands out for all fellows as a very positive contribution to the good atmosphere at the Collegium. Some fellows suggested, that in the internal debates, one could link up a bit more with current topical societal situations, like the Gaza war, giving the atmosphere a stronger touch of societal relevance. Many also suggested that the events taking place at the Collegium or which are initiated by the Collegium deserved a much more prominent place in the communication strategy of the participating universities or even of the City of Zurich, as a means to highlight and carry the very special academic atmosphere of the Collegium and the related (academic) reflections to a wider audience.

Böhme, G. (1993) Atmosphere as the Fundamental Concept of a New Aesthetics. Thesis Eleven. Vol. 36. pp. 113-126.
Schmitz, H. (2016) «Atmospheric Spaces». Ambiances,  http://journals.openedition.org/ambiances/711