Tim Gämperle

Echo van de Rhône

Redesigning the upper Rhône watershed for resilience and long-term adaptability.


While working on my graduation project about the river system of the Rhône, a disaster unfolded that had long loomed as a shadow over the Swiss valley. Extreme weather conditions — intense rainfall, sudden snowmelt, and saturated soils — caused the river to breach its banks. The consequences were devastating: infrastructure was severely damaged, agricultural lands were flooded, a village was wiped out, and lives were lost. What had once been seen as a theoretical risk became a harsh and painful reality. 

This event was not isolated but part of a broader trend. The increasing frequency and intensity of floods is inextricably linked to climate change. Both natural systems and human infrastructure are under growing pressure. The flood revealed the shortcomings of the current approach, which is still largely based on control and technical management. What is needed is a fundamentally different perspective — one that is not only focused on protection, but on adaptation, spatial generosity, and collaboration with natural processes. 

For me, this disaster made the key question of my research more urgent than ever: how can we shape the landscape in a way that not only withstands extreme water events, but also strengthens the ecological and cultural significance of the river? How can we design systems that move with the river, instead of working against it? 

“Echo of the Rhône” is my response to that question. It is a project that envisions a climate-resilient, safe, and experiential landscape — one that no longer fights the water, but slows it down, holds it, and allows it to infiltrate. By giving natural processes space, a dynamic balance between the seasons can emerge. At the same time, the centuries-old relationship between people and river is restored — not through control, but through cooperation with the landscape. 


Graduation date: 9 July 2025
Graduation committee Kim Kool (mentor), Gert-Jan Wisse, Jaap van der Salm 
Additional members for the exam: Yttje Feddes, Charlotte van der Woude