On Thursday, 18 September, nearly 90 students, staff, alumni and guests from Liechtenstein and the surrounding region braved the glorious sunshine to attend Barbara Ruech’s lecture at the University of Liechtenstein’s Atelier.

After an introduction by architect and lecturer Alberto Alessi, Barbara Lydia Ruech spoke under the title “The Japanese House and its Life as my Master” about her journey through rural Japan. Since 2023, she has been living and working there alongside Japanese craftsmen and architects to restore traditional houses in abandoned mountain villages. She encouraged the mixed-age audience to pursue their dreams.

Barbara Lydia Ruech, alumna of the Master’s programme in Architecture and lecturer at the University of Liechtenstein, combines architecture, photography and storytelling into a distinctive creative form shaped by craft traditions, respect for materials and a love of simple living.

Valuable Exchange

Following the lecture, she answered questions from the inspired audience about her life of deliberate simplicity, marked by unexpected encounters and meaningful collaborations. In a small accompanying exhibition, visitors were able to discover Japanese tools and sketchbooks and take part in a prize draw for authentic Japanese tea.

The evening concluded with lively conversations over Japanese beer, tea and rice crackers in the cosy atmosphere of the Architecture Atelier.

Alumni

As part of the collaboration between the Liechtenstein School of Architecture and Alumni Relations, the University regularly invites alumni to share their experiences and expertise. The next Alumni Talk is scheduled for the end of the semester.

More about Barbara Ruech

Raised in a mountain village in Tyrol as the daughter of a craftsman’s family, Barbara learnt early on the value of precision and the magic of good stories. After training in furniture design and carpentry at the HTL Imst, she studied architecture at the University of Liechtenstein and spent an exchange semester in Bergen (NO). Her time with Peter Zumthor (CH) and renowned firms in Vorarlberg deepened her sense for atmosphere and craftsmanship.

Since 2023, she has been spending much of her time in Japan, immersing herself in traditional crafts and leading her research project “The Japanese House and its Life as my Master”. Today, she commutes between Dornbirn and the Japanese countryside, renovating historic houses, documenting encounters with her camera, and at times living in a small car that serves as both studio and home.

Since 2025, she has co-led the Foundation Studio for Built Heritage & Upcycling at the University of Liechtenstein together with Alberto Alessi. Her work invites us to value what already exists, use resources mindfully, and give space to stories.