Photo: The nominees for the “Best of Bachelor 2024/2025” with the Construction Council.
Photo by Christoph Arnet, Kriens.
The “Best of Bachelor” award recognises the best bachelor’s thesed in civil engineering produced at Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences (SUP).
Introduced in 2011 by the Civil Engineering Council of the Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences, it is awarded every two years following a rigorous selection process in which each of the eleven SUP submits two theses.
During the 2024–2025 period, 512 graduates of the Bachelor of Science programs in civil engineering, wood technology - with a specialization in wood construction - and land management successfully defended their theses. For each year, the schools nominated the theses they considered most significant for the award. Of all the entries received, 21 theses were awarded the "Best of Bachelor" title. However, even being nominated is in itself a significant honour, reflecting the quality and commitment demonstrated throughout the course of study.
Four graduates have been nominated for the award by the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at SUPSI: Alessio Moroni and Emanuele Tulipani for 2024, and Nicolò Di Cristofaro and David Da Monte for 2025.
Alessio Moroni designed the Siddhababa Tunnel in Nepal, a tunnel nearly 1 km long that will reduce the risk of landslides along the Siddharta Highway 10, using conventional excavation methods and technical solutions that comply with Swiss standards.
Emanuele Tulipani proposed a new canopy for the former school grounds in Lugano, reimagining the bus shelter with a solution that integrates tram and train services, a police station and a bicycle parking facility.
Nicolò Di Cristofaro proposed a sustainable alternative to the elevation of the primary school in Camorino, using innovative concrete and recycled materials.
David Da Monte designed a solution to secure the entrance to the Vallone tunnel on the Agno-Bioggio bypass, incorporating risk analysis, protective measures and advanced structural design.
The awards ceremony took place on 19 June at the National Museum in Zurich. Franco Gervasoni, General Director of SUPSI, and Manuel Lüscher, Head of the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at SUPSI, were delighted to present the prize, worth 500 Swiss francs, to Emanuele Tulipani (2024) for his project Covering the Ex-schools square, Lugano, and to David Da Monte (2025) for the project Agno-Bioggio bypass: protection works and access point for the Vallone Tunnel.
The high quality of the theses submitted and the variety of topics covered made the selection process particularly challenging. The winning projects provide a concrete example of the role played by Universities of Applied Sciences in training qualified professionals capable of contributing to innovation and sustainable development in the construction sector.
The award is made possible thanks to sponsors from the construction and industrial sectors.
A special issue dedicated to the award is included with espazium magazin and its sister publications, espazium revue and espazium quaderni. The issue, published by espazium and the Construction Council, compiles all the submitted entries and presents the degree programs offered by Universities of Applied Sciences. Abstracts of the individual Bachelor’s thesis can also be viewed on the Construction Council’s website.