This paper explains how heating and ventilation systems as technical artefacts shaped the historical meaning of Swiss school buildings between 1830 and 1930 by analysing official and legal documents, sources regarding the World Exhibitions, and minutes at the Zurich cantonal and city archives. It exposes the theoretical assumptions of heating and ventilation systems as historical artefacts and their relevance for the history of education. It analyses the first legislation on school buildings in Switzerland as an engine and product of modern schooling. It examines the construction of the 'good schoolhouse' in the context of the World Exhibitions. It traces how both the school regulations and knowledge transfer are reflected in construction processes of local school buildings in the Canton of Zurich. Finally, it synthesises the previous discussions to explain the historical meaning of the school building in Switzerland creating national identity and cosmopolitanism at the same time.