Born in Winterthur, Switzerland, in 1908. After training at the Zurich Kunstgewerbeschule he was at the Bauhaus in Dessau, Germany, from 1927 to 1929. He returned to Switzerland and worked as architect, decorator, graphic designer, sculptor, journalist and designer. In all these fields he has written essays, taught and held lectures.
He was a member of CIAM (Congrès International d’Architecture Moderne) and UAM (Union des Artistes Modernes). In 1951 he was the co-founder of Ulm's Hochschule für Gestaltung and managed the architecture and design sections. He was a member of the Institut d'Esthéthique Industrielle in Paris, the DWB (Deutscher Werkbund), the BSA (Bund Schweizer Architekten), the AIA (American Institute of Architects) and Switzerland's “Oeuvre” association.
In 1967 he taught environmental design at the Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Hamburg. He was a member of the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts and the Flemish Royal Academy of Science, Literature and Art. He is an honorary consultant for Unesco. He received many awards and prestigious honors in his career. He died in Berlin in 1994.
