Using tools of modern industrial economics Urs Meister examines the effects of privatisation and competition in the piped water industry. Considering the two main approaches for competition in an industry with natural monopoly character, common carriage (interconnection) and franchise bidding (auctions), he analyses costs, retail prices and investment. Such analysis shows that competition may be a valuable opportunity to improve the efficiency of water supply.

The Institute of Architecture and Planning at University of Liechtenstein in Vaduz pursues highly innovative approaches in architectural education. A focus on practice and bringing students together with craftsmen and their businesses are a key part of this. Model Workshop documents one of these programs at the institute. Students are confronted with different aspects of construction at a scale of 1:1, ranging from experimental wood structures through assembly techniques to questions of manufacturing. Complementing theoretical groundwork, the students' design ideas are produced by timber construction firms as prototypes at a scale of 1:1, tested for functionality, and further developed. The book introduces this design work and direct transition into practice and analyses the learning process of building at full scale. It also offers guidance through texts and images for an in-depth engagement with these didactic methods in close cooperation with local trades businesses. Text in English and German.

Crafting the Façade presents the results of this productive co-operative study, which cut across disciplines to look at historical developments in the design and building of façades, the theoretical underpinnings that can explain these developments, the common materials and their main characteristics, and the techniques used in assembly. The project also prompted a great deal of innovative design work, including detailed drawings at a scale of 1:10 and the design and construction of life-size prototypes in stone, brick, and wood - all of which are reproduced here among the book's two hundred illustrations. Through their leadership roles with the project, editors Urs Meister, Carmen Rist-Stadelmann, and Machiel Spaan also reflect in Crafting the Façade on the learning processes that emerged from the project and offer guidance and resources for others looking to delve into this topic in depth.