This is the third part of a series of articles on concrete.  The first installment appeared on December 3, 2022; the second on December 10, 2022.

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Switzerland? The Alps, sure. The nation consistently ranks at or near the top of “most beautiful countries” lists. But beyond skiing, it’s also known for its chocolate, its finely crafted watches, its pharmaceuticals industry, and its banking system. With a population of 8.6 million (fewer than the U.S. state of New Jersey), this landlocked, resource-poor country has achieved outsized global clout and mindshare, punching far above its weight, like Heidi walloping Thanos.  

No product has contributed more to Switzerland’s global influence than concrete.

Architects, builders, and lovers of Brutalist design admire the country for its innovation in structural engineering and meticulously constructed concrete buildings. To the Swiss, themselves, concrete has long been a centerpiece of national pride. Recent scholarship puts the material at the center of Swiss national identity and argues it is the real and figurative bedrock of the modern state and its successes. Even the new factory and museum for chocolate giant Lindt & Sprüngli on the shore of Lake Zurich emphasizes its “Swissness” with a pristine, curvy concrete interior, meant to evoke the flow of chocolate with the country’s other signature material.

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