Hans von Gunten dies at the age of 84
The former Rector of ETH Zurich died at his home in Zollikon ZH on 25 January. He was in office from 1983 to 1995.
Hans von Gunten studied structural engineering at ETH Zurich and earned his diploma in 1955. He subsequently worked as assistant to Professor Pierre Lardy and, following his sudden death, assumed part of his teaching assignments for four terms. In parallel, he earned his doctorate under Professor Henry Favre before joining an engineering company in Bern, where he became a partner in 1963.
In 1966 Hans von Gunten, as the successor of Professor Hans Hauri who assumed the newly created office of ETH President, was appointed Associate Professor for Structural Statics and Construction in the then Department for Architecture and was promoted to full professor in 1969. From 1972 to 1974, he headed up the Department for Architecture and was the Head of the Institute for Building Technology from 1977 to 1979.
First full-time Rector of ETH Zurich
Hans von Gunten succeeded in giving architects-to-be an understanding about the structural engineering profession, showing them how they could contribute to the success of a draft on the basis of a very different foundation. He was also involved in his area of expertise at a national and international level: as President of the Professional Ethics Committee in the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA) and in numerous roles in the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE). Amongst other things he was in charge of the scientific programme for the IABSE Symposium on Bridges held in Zurich in 1979 and as President from 1985 to 1993. Both the SIA and IABSE as well as the GEP (today ETH Alumni) granted him honourable membership.
He held the office of Rector of ETH Zurich from 1983 to 1995. As the first full-time Rector, Hans von Gunten promoted the restructuring and modernisation of the training at ETH until his retirement.