(9783038210160 - Toward An Integral Practice of Architecture) Invention and Selection PDF

THE PROJECT
Invention and Selection

Ignacio Dahl Rocha
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Creativity and Innovation

For this chapter we have reserved a few observations on the subject of creativity and innovation in architecture
in general, and in design processes in particular. For us, this is a particularly sensitive subject, and while we have
insisted on persevering in our search for various kinds of balance in our practice, creativity and innovation are
issues that we think call for special attention. There is no doubt that having the possibility to innovate is one of
the great motivations for architects. At the same time, we are uneasy at being “obliged” to do so. In order to
elaborate on this seemingly heretical confession, it may be helpful to distinguish between two manifestations of
the notion of innovation. First is innovation in its noblest form, as the response to an essential human impulse
to create. We think of innovation as the outcome of a successful creative process, or what we call sustainable
innovation. Its importance in our profession is a given, and likewise, the stimulation and pleasure that the creative
process brings. The trouble with innovation in this noblest sense has to do specifically with the challenges posed
by our need to work collectively and to foster the optimum conditions for stimulating creativity in circumstances
where the everyday reality of professional activity tends to impose other priorities. But innovation also arises
out of another impulse. In this manifestation, it slips from being the outcome of a successful creative process to
becoming an end in itself, even a priority. We have already referred to this as one of the most distinctive features
of the architectural culture of our times, and one of the factors that contribute to imbalances in contemporary
architecture. This phenomenon, by now a commonplace which at times verges on the obsessive, not only distorts
the goals of architecture, but in many cases also devalues the creative process altogether as it culminates in
“innovations” that are superficial.
The Trouble with Innovation

Two forces pressure us with the demand for innovation as an end in itself. First, there are expectations – our own,
and those of others – that we will deliver an original and “genius” performance in our work. As a matter of fact,
a work of architecture, in spite of being a service to society, is also a way for the auteur-architect to satisfy the
ego, that is to say the need to be different, and if possible, better than other architects. The needs of the ego are
not necessarily in conflict with good architecture, but when satisfying the ego becomes a priority, one runs the
risk that the balance between the two, along with the the mission entrusted to us by society, will be undermined,
leading to the dubious results we all have observed. José Antonio Coderch reminded us as long ago as 1960 that
“it is not geniuses we need now,” and bearing in mind the fact that genius is not a goal can help us to find this
balance.1 When we are fully conscious and in control of our own creative process, we are able to perceive the
tensions between creative aspirations and the common sense our professional responsibility demands, and thus,
with our freedom and ethical capacity, we can find a point of equilibrium.
The second force that lays claim to innovation for its own sake is a cultural phenomenon, one that stems one way
or another from the demands of the market economy. As part of the dynamic of consumption and competition, the
appeal of novelty becomes a fundamental tool for responding to these demands, and architecture is no exception.
As Jorge Francisco Liernur put it, “Many of the prominent figures in contemporary architecture seem to be in a
frantic rush to turn the discipline into one more instrument in a world dominated by the accelerated consumption
of images.”2 The most obvious example of this phenomenon is so-called “architecture of the spectacle,” which,
impelled by the successful case of Bilbao, has typified the architecture of the last few decades: buildings by an elite
of “star architects” which attain global visibility as “spectacular” instruments in the promotion of competitive cities
and institutions. Many of these emblematic projects have already demonstrated their lack of viability, and this
1
José Antonio Coderch, “It is not geniuses we need now” (1960), Web Architecture Magazine (WAM) 01 (July-August 1996).
2
Jorge Francisco Liernur, “Acerca de la delicadeza: consideraciones sobre la obra de Richter & Dahl Rocha,” 2, published as “On Tact,” in The Architecture of Richter
& Dahl Rocha, trans. Inéz Zalduendo (Basel, Berlin, Boston: Birkhäuser, 2007). In the course of writing the texts for this book, in my re-reading of Liernur I returned to
the original Spanish version; passages quoted here and elsewhere in this volume have been retranslated by Paul Hammond, with my emendations.

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phenomenon has been one of the most controversial outcomes of the current malaise. Architectural “innovation”
runs the risk of becoming a purely formal exercise when it is not generated by a genuine programmatic or
technical evolution. The market demands novelties that reach beyond such genuine evolutions, the result being
more changes in the wrapping than the contents.
Innovation as a demand associated with consumerism goes hand in hand with the phenomenon of premature
obsolescence. By the same implacable logic, the novelty that supersedes whatever existed before will be pushed
aside by another one in due course, thus generating a vicious circle that exceeds the life cycle of a building, and
can be explained only by the logic of consumerism. We know that the “sustainable” management of physical
obsolescence in a building can be resolved by respecting the life cycles of each of its parts. What is less “sustainable”
is for a building that is still physically viable to lose aesthetic validity, or when it must be replaced by another one
whose raison d’être is simply its newness. The opposite of this phenomenon, timelessness, the ability to resist time
and to endure, is an ancient and fundamental attribute of architecture which also concerns us in our practice, and
which will be discussed further in my reflection on Liernur’s essay.
Another aspect of architecture that overshadows the obsession with the new, apart from beauty, is the simple but
intense pleasure of doing things well. A building that achieves excellence in many respects yet is not predicated
on newness does not arouse much interest today. The design process for the IMD Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center
(2005–08) in Lausanne represents a case in which from the beginning, we imposed upon ourselves the demand
for innovation. Many different variants were developed in the search for new or aesthetically cutting-edge
solutions. All of these variants were discarded in the end, either for functional or economic reasons, and we
resolved the expression of the building by means of a traditional constructional solution. In fact, the solution that
best responded to practical needs turned out to be the most aesthetically convincing one as well, and we often
cite this building as being representative of our aesthetic ideals. The design of the SwissTech Convention Center
(2008–14) is an example of the opposite scenario, in which the demand for novelty was part of the brief. From the
outset, SwissTech was envisioned as an emblematic building, so our design process involved a deliberate search
for a sculptural form with strong unity and identity, but the solution managed to emerge from the spatial and
structural logic of the project itself.
The Design Process

The processes of architectural design continue to increase in complexity due to the great quantity and diversity
of specialised information that they incorporate, while particular attention has to be paid to the development
and organisation of team work and interdisciplinary collaboration in order to tackle these effectively. Alongside
these developments, advances in information technology keep pace, providing the new tools needed to address
them. At an organisational level, new technologies propose exchange platforms and building models as a basis
for shared work in which different specialists can intervene without increasing the time needed to do the work.
Other models permit the optimisation of the design process by simulating alternatives, in terms of architectural
form as well as the physical behaviour of buildings, or by analysing information about the actual utilisation
of the building in order to incorporate what has been learned in future projects. Another huge advance has
been the creation of programs that enable forms to be generated and which are capable of resolving complex
geometries. These tools, in addition to the astonishing progress made in the virtual modelling of buildings, have
had a significant influence on the evolution of contemporary architecture.
Enthusiasm for the advances implied by all of this, and the almost unlimited possibilities for evolution in the
technical and quantifiable aspects of project design have led to instances in which these powerful programs
are used not just to resolve individual problems, but in the overall design of architecture. These forays, among
which we could cite the example of so-called parametric architecture, are of great experimental value, but at the
same time, the results reveal their limits. Paradoxically, despite the fact that such programs have been developed
to objectify the process of design and to optimise the response to the particular conditions of the project, they
Study of named variants

for SICPA Headquarters
Prilly, Switzerland, 2010
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end up imposing an a priori, omnipresent, and clichéd formal repertoire that fails to respond to fundamental
specificities like use, relation to place, or inherent character. The outcome is often characterised by systematic
recourse to the complex forms these programs make possible, which contradict such objectives as, for instance,
optimisation of the design, or cost-effectiveness of resources.
On a theoretical level, advances such as these suggest the possibility of reducing architectural design to an
entirely rational operation, which leads to questions about human nature that rapidly exceed the limits of what
we are dealing with here. The important thing is that the evolution of technology tends, in fact, to rationalise
the project to the utmost degree, thus begging the question of the role of the architect as we know it today.
If the architectural project becomes the result of a purely mathematical process, the role of individual genius
in the process of design is obviously diminished. As if to deny this, paradoxically, contemporary culture tends
toward the cult of the individual creator, and it is precisely this tendency which makes it possible to imagine
an evolution of architecture as just another industrial product. In this hypothetical scenario, the figure of the
architect might survive in the form of a “brand” personifying a product, even though in actuality he would have
little presence or agency in its conception and production, both processes having been effectively depersonalised.
The importance of technological advances would be misinterpreted were we to see in them the solution to
challenges posed by the declining quality of the built environment. As in the case of sustainable development,
we are dealing with knowledge that is indispensable, but not capable on its own of responding to the general
problem of the built domain, since as we know all too well, this includes a cultural dimension which goes way
beyond technology. In the same sense, it is important that enthusiasm for these remarkable advances does not
lead to contempt for intuitive forms of knowledge as something primitive that must be superseded. On the
contrary, it is as important to master and understand these intuitive and artisanal methods, as it is the new devices
of design, and the challenge is to incorporate them in the collective creative process.
The Challenge of Collective Creativity

At a purely practical level, new technologies are being incorporated into professional work as effective tools, and
at the present time, for us it is less a matter of deciding whether or not to entrust formal decisions to the computer,
than a challenge to develop new modes of participation and organisation to deal with design work undertaken
by teams. In our case, the challenge has been to adapt the dynamic of the design process gradually, in response
to the increasing complexity, scale, and number of projects, and the growing size of the office. This dynamic has
evolved over the last two decades from a studio model, in which the substance of the creative process occurred at
the level of the individual designer, to an office in which we have attempted to found a collective creative process.
By “collective creativity,” we mean a process in which various individuals participate at key moments in the design
process. Not all of the work of the team involves this sort of experience. A team may develop design processes
in which the key moments are the outcome of individual creativity. Experiences of collective creativity pose a
challenge not unlike the one posed by the teaching of architecture, that is, the need to rationalise to the greatest
extent possible a process that is ultimately subjective. It is worth noting in passing that the “strategies” employed
in this collective process are crucial to the outcome, hence the importance of understanding them fully in order
to adapt them to our needs and objectives. In general, architects consciously or unconsciously keep some of the
reasons and motivations behind a design idea to themselves, and it is important for the success of the collective
process to make the effort to identify and share these.
In trying to understand the collective creative process, the distinction José Antonio Marina has drawn between
the “inventive” and the “selective” moment is illuminating.3 In the “inventive moment,” individual genius
predominates, and its fundamental contribution is undeniable. It is worth, however, taking time to focus on the
potential of the selective moment, which overlaps with the inventive, but is an activity that can be rationalised
and therefore more easily shared. In the selective moment, ideas that arise spontaneously during the inventive
moment are evaluated, analysed, discussed, and validated or rejected. This is the moment when ideas “in the
3
José Antonio Marina, Elogio y refutación del ingenio (Barcelona: Anagrama, 1992), 23. As Marina’s book has not been translated into English, passages are quoted
in translations by Paul Hammond, with my emendations.

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rough” are subjected to in-depth critical discussion among a team which acts as a “collective creative subject.” It
is under these circumstances that the collective creative subject has the opportunity to construct a personality or
identity of its own, something which has traditionally been reserved for the creative individual.
The notion of exploring the path of collective creativity has led us, more and more frequently, to turn to the study
of variants as a systematic methodology. Although in reality such methods turn out to be complex hybridisations,
we could describe the process that privileges the elaboration of variants as being the opposite of one that proceeds
from a strongly intuitive position. In general, the latter process is the result of individual talent and privileges the
inventive moment. It usually provides the more original responses, but is difficult to share. The variant method is
based on elaborating different solutions for a given problem, which can be fuelled by brainstorming, and allows,
step by step, for subsequent analysis, discussion at various stages of the process, and a collective selection of the
final solution. The main trouble with this method is that the solutions agreed upon are usually more hybrid and
have less “personality” than those that arise from processes in which individual creativity predominates.
The Place of the Ineffable

In our reflections, we have devoted an important part of this book to the notion of beauty, which as we have said,
reserves a place for the ineffable, for all that “we cannot speak,” but which is perhaps the most important of all.
If we are to be consistent, when thinking about creativity and the design process, this is one aspect that cannot
be ignored. We have mentioned that one of the difficulties of collective creativity has to do with recognising and
incorporating the subjective or the intuitive into shared work. In that respect, we value our experience of working
in collaboration with different artists, to which we have referred in the foregoing section on Encounters. In this
respect, we have often had the opportunity to experience a creative moment divested of all possibility for rational
argumentation. Indeed, the creative process is not only the outcome of what we rationally control, but also the
result of a process that we do not fully control, although we are aware of it. The blank page may generate a
positive creative anxiety of sorts, or on the contrary, an anguish which, along with the pressure of a lack of time,
causes us to resort to default solutions. A state of alertness and confidence favours this creative moment, which
averts the anguish of the tabula rasa, and which, while it accepts a certain measure of anxiety as a stimulus, adopts
a partly passive attitude toward the situation, as if the “spark” might occur spontaneously. Another characteristic
of our way of tackling the design process is to let the creative process flow unimpeded, to discuss parameters
and constraints, letting the analysis mature without rushing to impose external formal strategies, so that the
form emerges from the problem itself. These are extremely intense moments in architecture, when the designer,
whether individual or collective, tries to minimise the traces of his own hand, as if the work was born by its own
means. In poetry, as Rafael Alberti has suggested, one should not notice the making of it.
Sustainable Creativity
At the beginning of these reflections, we made reference to our preoccupation with establishing conditions
that are conducive to the development of collective creativity in circumstances where the urgent needs of the
profession also have their own priorities, which do not always proceed in the same direction. This preoccupation
has led us to confront, in collaboration with consultants from outside, the task of revising the working methods
and organisation of the studio by placing the emphasis on the specific issues incumbent upon creative activity like
ours. From this analysis emerge these first reflections, which will serve as a basis for advancing in that direction,
and which may be summed up in the notion of “sustainable creativity.” By this, we mean creativity linked to
the reality of the problem posed, and with the ambition of innovation as the successful outcome of the creative
process and not as an end in itself.
The first question this poses is that of balance between the value of experience and knowledge on one hand, and
spontaneity and innocence on the other, as the means of liberating creative potential. A condition of creativity,
it was suggested, would be “knowing what one is talking about”; namely, relying on the depth of the particular
knowledge that is required in a given situation – calling to mind gist of the Adolf Loos’ story about the master

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craftsman who, when presented with a new design by an artist, remarked to the effect that, “If I knew so little
about my trade, I, too, would have fantasies.”4 The second question refers to the relationship between designers
and their work, and the importance of being fully integrated in the creative process and receiving the feedback
necessary to stimulate creativity. In our particular case, this means that although they might intervene in only a
part of the process, it is important for architects to take an interest in the process as a whole, and above all, to
gain an understanding of the building as it has been realised and in terms of its actual use. The third question,
it seems, is the “tempo” of creativity. We agree that a lack of time works against creativity, but at the same time
we know that during the creative process, it is frequently under the pressure of a deadline that hesitations give
way to valid ideas. Is it important that one not act hastily, but rather take one’s time, especially in the early stages
of the process. What is also important is the need to control anxiety, and to know when to draw to a halt, if
necessary, and to take distance. This taking of distance is also conducive to a serene vision of the road that has
been travelled, and to the possibility of incorporating new ideas that have emerged from the process itself.
A corollary risk, albeit one which is not limited to the matter of tempo, is that of succumbing too rapidly to the
search for solutions or responses to a given problem instead of concentrating from the start on asking the right
questions. This is directly related to the need for a good cahier des charges, or brief, as a starting point for getting
the creative process off to a good start. Finally, we realise that one of the main forces working against creativity
is the demotivation caused by the pressures and tribulations of day-to-day activity.
The Teaching of Architecture

Like so many other architects, our engagement with higher education is an important complement to our
professional activities. In schools of architecture, many professionals like ourselves come together to teach and
share experiences. These schools are the place where discussions and research in the discipline naturally take
place, since the demands of day-to-day work do not always provide the time or the conditions necessary for
such activities. In addition to the great stimulus that is derived from sharing and discussing our experiences, the
relationship with the academic world helps us to maintain a permanent state of critical awareness and to foment
an investigative spirit in our work. In return, our professional activity enables us to offer the experience of reality
as the kind of information and raw material indispensable to teaching, research, and theory.
Among the benefits this exchange has brought, we wish to mention first the permanent process of learning
involved in the teaching of architectural design. As we have mentioned, the demands of collective creativity, the
fact of having to teach, and to share the process of design with students, obliges us to make a continuous effort
to understand and to rationalise a process we have profoundly internalised as an intuitive tool. It is a process
comparable to psychoanalysis, which attempts to understand the conscious and unconscious motivations of a
behaviour pattern in order to be able to guide it. Going back to our comments on this, were there to be a possibility
that computers might act “creatively” on design, they would do so on the basis of a profound understanding
of these mechanisms. For the time being, science has not managed to explain the mysteries of creativity.
Relations between the professional and academic worlds also provide us with an opportunity to nourish practice
with reflection, and vice versa. Most of these reflections result from confronting the problems of day-to-day work
with a line of theoretical thinking, which is in turn the result of personal interests developed over time within
the framework of academic activity. As an example of this, we cite our central interest in the tradition of modern
architecture, the will to remain as close as possible to construction and function in the real and metaphorical sense,
stemming from the theoretical debates of the 1970s characterised by scepticism about architectural language,
which marked our formative years. Both issues are in turn closely linked to our work itself. The practical and
theoretical realms have mutually nourished one another, and we have taken an interest in theory as an instrument
of critical reflection through which to observe and experience the practice of architecture, rather than as a way of
constructing meaning to justify the work.
4
Adolf Loos, “Josef Veillich” (1929), in On Architecture, trans. Michael Mitchell (Riverside: Ariadne Press, 2002), 186.

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The different ways of integrating theory and research into professional practice at an institutional level give
rise to a debate that manifests itself in the divergent tendencies typical of schools of architecture, and which
is likewise reflected in the production of architecture. This debate occurs when the cultural tendency toward
specialisation increasingly places teaching in the hands of professors and less in the hands of professionals,
who devote only a part of their time to teaching. On one side, practical training is privileged with the goal of
responding to the immediate needs of the profession; on the other side, critical and innovative thought and
experiments are privileged in order to allow the discipline to progress. For those who defend the first scenario,
the drawback consists of professing a commitment to reality as a poor excuse for avoiding creative risk, and
closing the door on an enormous creative potential. For those who defend the second, the drawback is that
theory and research become self-serving and disconnected from reality. The wager of the first is that naturally
inquiring and creative professionals will break new ground anyway, on the basis of solid training, and the rest
will exercise their profession efficiently; the wager of the second is that what is important is to teach everyone
to learn to think, and the métier will be learned anyway as they go along.
École Hôtelière de Lausanne: A Collective Project

The importance of both visions and the need to strike a balance between the two of them is obvious. To do this,
the need arises to reinforce and to energise relations between the professional and academic worlds. A case
that illustrates this is an experience in the context of a project for extending the campus of the École Hôtelière
de Lausanne (EHL) in Le Chalet-à-Gobet (Lausanne), in 2012. This unusual experiment, conceived and organised
by the EHL, our office, and the Universidad de Navarra in Spain, has led to an exploration of the possibilities
for interaction, not only fostering collaboration between academic and professional milieus, but also actively
involving the figure of the client in the conception of a project. As this process unfolded, it provided an excellent
opportunity to explore other themes we are interested in, such as that of collective creativity. This experiment
involved incorporating the contributions of university architecture and landscape design students as well as
students from the EHL in the creative process. To do this, 11 universities from North and South America, Asia, and
Europe included the topic in their course offerings, and set students to work on it for a semester. At the end of this
initial phase, the New Campus Development Forum was organised in Lausanne to present 35 of the 100 projects;
faculty and students were invited to review and debate the results. At the conclusion of this academic phase,
during which four students and a faculty representative were selected to continue collaborating on the design
process, the professional phase, coordinated by our office as the designated architects, got under way. This second
phase has involved the development of a preliminary design synthesising student proposals.
An initial advantage of the project was to generate a range of proposals for the same problem, which enriched the
process by bringing multiple viewpoints from different cultures and disciplines. Unlike architecture competitions
in which a great deal of work is submitted, but only that of the winning team is retained, in this case, all the work
contributed to an understanding of the problem and the elaboration of the definitive design. The experience
turned out to make a major contribution to our on-going reflections on collective creativity. Once concluded, it
will permit us to evaluate the extent to which this method has been conducive to creativity and opened up new
paths for investigating the issues it addresses. For example, the sheer number of designs alone has enabled us to
implement the variant method on a grand scale. Monitoring the procedure that leads to the final synthesis will
enable us to evaluate a crucial issue: the selective moment of the creative process as a collective task. We will be
able to evaluate the consequences of this method in the final result, for example, the extent to which a project
based on consensus can attain high levels of creativity without forgoing the strength and the personality individual
talent brings. With respect to the EHL as a client, they learned what they needed to learn in this process, and as
they learned, they were able to help us. The experience of participating in the entire process enabled the school to
optimise its thinking about its own needs, to grasp the architectural problem to the fullest, and to actively guide us
in the elaboration of the design. This experience has also turned out to be enriching from the human point of view,
and the stimulus it has provided for all the individuals concerned has up to now had a very positive impact on the
result. For us, this has the potential of becoming a model that could be proposed to any other client or company.

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THE PROJECT
Competitions |
Unbuilt Projects

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Tour de l’Esplanade, Fribourg, Switzerland, 2012

Project for a mixed-use residential complex, with a hotel, offices, and
public spaces
In 2012 the Swiss Federal Railway (CFF) organised a competition for the
Tour de l’Esplanade which also included propositions for use with respect
to programs and economic viability. The site is situated on the esplanade
of the old railway station of Fribourg, between the platforms and Route
des Arsenaux, at the end of an abandoned zone destined for development
as a new quarter. The program proposed for the tower comprises housing
units, an apartment hotel, administrative offices, and commercial spaces,
with the proportion of different types of occupancy being undetermined.
The two levels of the base house a parking lot for 100 cars and 550 bicycles
and motorcycles, as well as commercial spaces that generate the lively
social character of public space. The volumetric treatment of the tower
seeks to make the most of the constraints of the building’s outline to
produce a totemic structure on an urban scale. The lower floors of the
volume are hollowed out, in order to free up the Esplanade and dialogue
with the urban context, consisting of the former railway station on one
side and on the other by the island along the Route des Arsenaux. This
volumetric division thus suggests the stratification of occupancy in the
tower. The public space spreads over two levels, linking the building to its
context and to the city more generally. On the upper level, the Esplanade,
located in front of the former station, houses the main access to the Tower.
The public square is located on street level; it integrates and extends
the nearby buildings of “La Genevoise” and the Banque Cantonale de
Fribourg. A generous sweep of steps links these two public levels. The plan
of the tower is compact and rational.

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PLAN NIVEAU +625.50 (VELOS-COMMERCES)
N
0 5 10 20m
Techniques 333
538 m2 538 m2 538 m2 682 m2
Parking 96 places
commerce
148 m2
387 m2
171 m2
accès
hotel
Dépots
accès
logements
&
bureaux réunions
96 m2 387 m2 524 m2
Perimetre Constructible Sous-sol
8 chambres 13 chambres
niv. esplanade / entrée principale étage 2 / conférences étage 3 / hôtel étage type 4 à 7 / hôtel
MIXITE, FLEXIBILITE, DURABILITE

PLAN NIVEAU +622.7 (PARKING)
L'ESP
N
N
0 5 10 20m
Organisation du plan compact et rationel, optimisant l'incidence de la structure, avec une hauteur d'étage constante, et
desservis
851 m2 par trois parcs d'ascenseurs (pour trois851affectations
m 2 distinctes : logement, bureaux, hôtel851etm services) Recherche de 2
851 m2
flexibilité conceptuel et constructive, capable de s'adapter aux évolutions toute au long de sa vie durée de vie. les vélos.
terrasse
avec la tour
173 m2 173 m2
1
77 m2
STRUCTURE 2 wc restaurant
117 m2
Noyau + dalles B.A. + périmettre porteur
> Flexibilité d'occupation du plan appart'hotel
1
> Inércie thermique : stockage / délestage journalier 3 76 m2
2 4
ENERGIES 1
3 76 m2
– Pompe à chaleur réversible sur champ de 244 m2

4
sondes géothermiques /sous surface parking
– Possibilité
157 m2 de refroidissement
172 m2 directe : geocooling 685 m2 5
81 m2 bar
– Panneaux solaire thermiques > eau chaude sanitaire

– Panneaux photovoltaique (pour Minergie P-Eco) open 139 m2 6
– Ventilation décentralisée par étage
+ 626.3 + 626.2
space
279 m2 cuisine
avec gestion individualisée par orientation / locataire loggia
335
– Aération douce selon occupation réel

> minimisation gaines > maximisation surfaces utililes
–étage type 8enà chape
chauffage 13 / bureaux 4 locataires
aux logements étage type 8 à 13 / bureaux locataire unique étage type 14 à 16 / logements 6 appartements attique panoramique
– chauffage en faux-plafond actif aux bureaux
L'ESPACE PUBLIC REQUALIFIE

DISTRIBUTION HORIZONTALE SURFACES ET AFFECTATIONS
– Faux-plafonds autour des noyaux :
Déviations canalisation The plan of the tower is compact and rational. Its layout, with a
Place urbaine arborée en partie+ basse, en lien avec
reprise ventilation les commerces,
/ installations techniquesla gare, le
bâtiment de la Banque Cantonale. Grand espace
– Faux-planchers requalifié, favorisant le piéton et
aux bureaux: constructive system that frees up interior spaces and results in floors
Hauteur idem chape aux logements
les vélos. Accroche visuelle depuis la gare grâce au volume arboré, qui dialogue of consistent ceiling height, allows flexibility of use, and thus ensures
avec la tour. Esplanade haute, liée à la vie de la tour et de l'ancienne gare. lasting functionality. The very efficient core provides for the unfettered
Présence de l'eau devant la tour, lieu d'accueil et de réception, sous forme de jets et
335
brumisation en séquences. Aménagement linéaire sur le thème du jardin ferroviaire

FACADES / ENVELOPPE distribution of the proposed functions, including housing, offices, hotel,
(mobilier urbain et plantations). and commercial spaces. The tower presents itself as an urban sculpture
– Optimisation éclairage naturelle
– Protection extérieur amovible whose plastic visual aspect is related to the treatment of its envelope. Its
– Avec protection au vent ventilated double skin allows the expression of a unified and homogenous
> Double-peau compacte par étage
Vide d'air ventilé naturellement facade
Total in spite12'840
of m2the diversity of occupancy and use it contains.
superstructures/techniques/solaires
+ 628.5 – Isolation phonique améliorée
– Simplicité d'entretien restaurant / appart'hotel 17
– Loggias protégés derrièrre simple verres
– Ventilation naturelle possible Résidentielles 2'550 m2 logements 16
+ 625.5
logements 15
+ 626.3 + 626.2 + 626.0 + 625.2

logements 14
Administratives 5'100 m2 bureaux 13

bureaux 12
Tour de l'Esplanade Dialogue intermédiare janvier 2012 bureaux 11

bureaux 10
bureaux 9
bureaux 8
Communautaires 4'650 m2 hotel 7

hotel 6
hotel 5
hotel 4
hotel 3
Commerce / Acceuil 540 m2 conférences / réunions 2
accès / commerce
1
Dépôts/logistique/tech. 1'430 m2 accès/dépôts/commerce/vélos -1
Commerces 550 m2
Vélos 510 pl. 1'150m2 techniques / caves / parking -2
Parking 96 pl. 2'700m2
HRS Real Estate SA - Richter · Dahl Rocha & Associés architectes SA

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334
Hardturm Stadium, Zürich, Switzerland, 2012

with Francisco Mangado, architect, Pamplona
Project for a new stadium seating 19,000 spectators, with sports facilities
and infrastructure
In 2011, the city of Zürich organised an international architecture

competition for the new Hardturm Stadium. In association with Spanish
architect Francisco Mangado, RDR was one of twelve teams to be
shortlisted. Located at the northwest entry to the city, the new stadium
is considered to be an essential element of a quarter slated for urban
renewal. A new reference point at the west end of Pfingsweidstrasse,
the stadium would become the last constructed element of an urban
network that dissolves on the edges of the parks along the Limmat River.
Conceived as home to the city’s two football teams, Fussball Club Zürich
(FCZ) and Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ), the stadium seating 16,000
will host international matches (UEFA/FIFA). The modular seating system
which allows for flexible seating and standing places as well, makes it
possible to increase the capacity to 19,000 for national matches. To meet
the needs of sponsors, fans, and the press, there is a special activities zone
above the presidential gallery, with VIP rooms, sound booths for media
commentators, and several dining facilities. Sited between the industrial
zone to the south and the residential quarter to the east, the project seeks
to create a dialogue between these two sectors with their contrasting
atmospheres. A brilliant volume by day and translucent at night by
virtue of its perforated metal shell, the stadium presents the strong and
recognisable image of a diamond poised on a pedestal at the entrance
to the city. The entrances to the stadium and the public amenities of the
program including a cafeteria and souvenir shops, enliven the pedestal,
which is directly linked to the public space, and thus in spite of the scale
of the stadium, it become possible to create a neighbourly atmosphere
vis-à-vis the residential quarter to the east.

Authenticated
335
Façade Nord
Façade Sud
Façade Est
Façade Ouest

Authenticated
336 Hardturm Stadium
10 m
10 m

Authenticated
10 m
337
10 m
10 m
10 m
Authenticated
338 Hardturm Stadium
Coupe longitudinale
Coupe transversale

Authenticated
339
The structural concept for the stadium combines two independent

systems: on one hand, terraces that comprise an independent and
continuous ring of reinforced concrete running around the perimeter of
the stadium, functioning as an acoustical barrier; on the other hand, the
roof, which takes the form of a perforated table resting on four V-shaped
“legs.” These supports positioned at the four corners of the stadium, free
up the maximum space at ground level, where circulation flows are at
their most intense before and after matches. The facade is a continuous
skin in perforated metal projecting the volume of the stadium into the
neighbourhood. It is supported by a structural mesh suspended from
the roof. This traction-based system makes it possible to minimise the
dimensions of the substructure, so that the facade gives the illusion of
weightlessness.
Authenticated
340
Torre del Bicentenario, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2010

Project for a 200-metre viewing tower to commemorate the bicentennial
In 2010, the government of Argentina organised a competition for an

emblematic monument to commemorate the bicentennial of the War of
Independence (1810–18). The site selected is a parcel situated between the
Rio de la Plata, the harbour, and an ecological reserve, in a part of the city
where the urban fabric is oriented north-south. The proposal includes a large
wooded park running the full length of this zone, contributing a new public
green space to the city. Railway lines and the autoroute run beneath the
street level, enhancing the link between the new park and the urban fabric.
A promenade that begins on Plaza San Martín in front of the Retiro railway
station ends close to the Rio de la Plata at the foot of the tower. The esplanade
accommodates museums, cinemas, nautical sports, and other recreational
activities, performing as a real urban forum. The Torre del Bicentenario
becomes a new symbol of Argentine unity and hospitality. Standing 200
metres high, it also offers the panoramic viewing point that this extensive
capital city needed. It is a demountable metal structure, comprising two
pillars that stand 10 metres apart, between which are suspended capsules in
which visitors are conveyed to the top and back down again. These capsules
are in permanent movement on a continuous vertical loop. The concept
is that of the paternoster, an early elevator system used here used to
conceive an inexpensive, high-capacity, closed-circuit mechanism. Because
of the relatively slow pace of the operating system, passengers can board at
ground level without interrupting the continuous movement of the other
capsules. With respect to sustainable development, the tower is economical
in its use of materials, and can be dismantled to optimise its life cycle.

Authenticated
341

Authenticated
342 Torre del Bicentenario
Mobile platforms for boarding the capsules
General plan
+0m + 50 m + 100 m + 150 m 1:200 + 200 m

1 5m

Authenticated
343
200m 200m 200m
150m 150m 150m
100m 100m 100m
50m 50m 50m
200m
150m
100m
50m

Authenticated
344
Torre Bajo Belgrano, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2011

Project for a 20-storey residential tower with common spaces, a swimming
pool, and a terrace on the 2 upper floors
This project for a tower is located in the Belgrano quarter of Buenos Aires,
a sector of the city where planning regulations have permitted the building
of numerous towers per block, and where isolated high-rise towers have
gradually taken the place of an urban fabric formed by contiguous
low-rise buildings. The new building stands at the center of the parcel,
between two high-rise towers and a consolidated block surrounding a
public green space. Looking toward Rio de la Plata, the horizon is visible
between two neighbouring towers. Bajo Belgrano houses 18 residential
floors capable of accommodating numerous different combinations of
apartment types for 36 to 72 units, ranging from one to four bedrooms
in size. The building rests on four reinforced-concrete V-shaped feet, the
free ground floor interrupted only by a glazed lobby that allows clear
views of the park. The two uppermost floors house common spaces, a
swimming pool, and a terrace. The proposal appeals to residents who in
recent decades have moved out to the suburbs and are now returning
to the center of the city in search of a new type of housing. The project
proposes highly compact mid-sized apartments with high-ceilings and the
general feel of a private house. The concept involves six units built into
modules of three floors each, allowing for the creation of generous spaces
measuring four by eight metres, with four metres of space overhead. This
three-floor module is repeated six times, making up the main body of the
tower. A balcony three metres deep running along the facade completes
the structure. These traversant apartments are laid out to capture views
into the heart of the block as well as toward the Rio de la Plata, creating
a strong sense of openness.
2 10 m

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345
2 10 m

Authenticated
346
MCBA Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2004–2005

Project for a new museum building in Bellerive
The site for the Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts in Lausanne is a trapezoidal
parcel fronting on the shore of Lake Geneva. Although it affords direct
access to the lake at its narrow end, the site is compromised by the very
different character of its neighbouring parcels, to the east a shipyard
occupied by the General Navigation Company (CGN), and to the west,
Marc Piccard’s early modernist Bellerive-Plage pool (1937). The project
proposed a strong gesture to mediate this condition: a very simple barre
building facing the lake. Clad in stone and open at both ends, the building
rests on a podium that defines the site as a public place. On this new
“ground,” cultural events related to the museum occur in the context of
the more spontaneous activity generated by pedestrians passing by. In
addition to exhibition spaces, the programmatic requirements of the new
museum included a reception area and public spaces, a zone devoted to
public education, a laboratory for conservation work, a reference library, a
museum shop, a multipurpose space, and a garden, as well as privately run
concessions such as a café and a restaurant. In particular, the positioning
of the café at ground level in close proximity to the lake invites the public
to participate in the museum’s activities. The main volume of the museum
is elevated on its podium, and a long staircase leading to an open space
overlooking the lake gives access to the various exhibition spaces. At the
other end of the building, the facade acts as a large projection screen in
dialogue with the city. Designed to free the exhibition spaces of structural
elements in order to allow designers and art installers as much flexibility
as possible, the building is also equipped with novel systems to facilitate
and enhance the display of art works. The roof is composed of a series of
skylights oriented to the north, which optimise the capture of incoming
natural light; while translucent glass and horizontal louvers offer various
alternatives to accommodate a wide range of curatorial purposes and
strategies.

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347
B B
B B
B-B
B-B

Authenticated
348 MCBA Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts

Authenticated
349

Authenticated
Authenticated
THE PROJECT
Project Profile |
EPFL Quartier Nord, 2008–2014

Authenticated
352
EPFL Quartier Nord, SwissTech Convention Center and Student Housing

écublens, Switzerland, 2008–2014
In 2006, a bidding competition was organised by the École Polytechnique reception areas, to meet the widest possible range of future needs. The
Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), inviting multidisciplinary teams of planners, plan for the new quarter includes a housing complex for 500 students
designers, and investors to come together to formalise alternative which integrates 6,500 square metres of commercial space for shops and
proposals with the goal of establishing a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) restaurants, as well as a hotel for guests. The whole ensemble is organised
to develop a new quarter of the EPFL campus. Once the selection process around a main plaza, where the common spaces of the convention center
was finalised, and after the necessary corrections and adjustments to and the mixed-use student housing complex converge, reinforcing the
existing planning regulations were in place, the Richter Dahl Rocha team public character of the northern extension of the campus. The SwissTech
initiated development of the project in 2009. Situated at the northwestern Convention Center is clearly the key protagonist, and as such, it takes
corner of the campus, this ensemble of buildings creates a whole new on a particularly strong visual and formal identity. Although the formal
neighbourhood with elements of infrastructure that are strategic to the language of the S-shaped housing complex is more subdued, a coherence
school’s continued development. The site is directly linked to the M1 of the materials used throughout the Quartier Nord brings a strong unity
Metro and bus lines, with the main EPFL station incorporated directly to the whole. The serigraphed glass cladding and anodised aluminium
into the plaza level, amenities which mediate the inconvenience of the louvers of the student apartments fronting onto the main public space
tracks and access roads that pass between the new quarter and the main of the plaza maintain a clear dialogue with the convention center. Only
EPFL campus. The flexible SwissTech Convention Center on the west side in the inner courtyard spaces of the residential complex do the access
of the site seats up to 3,000 visitors in the main auditorium, and offers a galleries reveal the rich and colourful atmosphere of student life.
range of other configurations including smaller auditoriums, conference
and meeting spaces, as well as break-out rooms, exhibition spaces, and

Authenticated
353

Authenticated
354 EPFL Quartier Nord, SwissTech Convention Center / Student Housing
Above: Studies for the initial phase of the PPP competition for EPFL Quartier Nord
Below: Aerial view of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) campus, with
the Quartier Nord finishing the northwestern edge, and the Quartier de l’Innovation, also
designed by Richter Dahl Rocha, completing the southwestern edge

Authenticated
355
Organisational chart for the Public-Private

Partnership, in which Richter Dahl Rocha
together with HRS led the design process
for the EPFL Quartier Nord project, in close
collaboration with the user representatives
from the EPFL and a highly competent team
of engineers and consultants
PUBLIC - PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP (PPP)
AUTHORITIES AND
PUBLIC ENTITIES
FINANCE
LEGAL PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
CREDIT SUISSE
ASSET MANAGEMENT
INVESTOR RICHTER DAHL ROCHA
ARCHITECTES
SWISS CONFEDERATION
LAND OWNER
CATHERINE BOLLE
DANIEL SCHLAEPFER
ARTISTS
INGENI SA + DANIEL WILLI SA

CONGRESS CENTER
CIVIL ENGINEERING
TEAM
RIEDWEG & GENDRE SA
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
COMMERCIAL
DEVELOPMENT EPFL HRS BETELEC SA
USER TOTAL SERVICES ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
STUDENT
CONTRACTOR KARAKAS & FRANCAIS
HOUSING GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
QUALITY CONTROL SPECIALISTS AND
OTHER CONSULTANTS
CONTRACTORS AND
SUB-CONTRACTORS

Authenticated
356
EPFL Quartier Nord, SwissTech Convention Center, écublens, Switzerland, 2008–2014
Situated at the northern entrance to the EPFL campus, the SwissTech only required on a limited number of occasions per year. The possibility
Convention Center becomes a new landmark, a clearly identifiable to subdivide this main space in order to create other spaces that are just
reference point in the landscape. The metallic shell, closely following the as suitably proportioned and optimised was part of the brief from the
internal spatial configuration of the optimised main auditorium, seems outset. Moveable partitions allow the upper balcony as well as the area
to float over the glazed facades that enclose both the auditorium and of the parterre below the balcony to be closed off. Hydraulic platforms
the foyer, allowing a maximum of daylight to penetrate the inner spaces. and rotating seat mounts allow the auditorium to be transformed into
The auditorium is designed to accommodate up to 3,000 people, but just a flat, multi-purpose room or banquet hall in a matter of minutes. The
as importantly, it can be subdivided into alternative configurations to west facade of the main foyer is draped in 400 square metres of glazed
allow for a variety of smaller-scale events to take place simultaneously panels on which are applied revolutionary thin film dye-sensitized solar
or in sequence. The optimisation of these spaces in their different cells, developed by the Swiss chemist Michael Grätzel of the EPFL, to
arrangements, which guaranty impeccable sight lines and balanced provide protection from the afternoon sun while generating 2,000
distances from the different stage set-ups in each case, ultimately defined kilowatt hours of electricity annually. The artist Catherine Bolle worked
the building’s form. The question of external cladding for the outer with the four colours developed by Grätzel to achieve Le Semainier.
shell of the convention center was resolved through a typical process
of research in terms of form and materiality, leading to the selection
of elongated diamond-shaped tiles in anodised aluminium. A subtle
variation in their depth reinforces the rich textural nature of the shell’s
outer surface. The maximum capacity of 3,000 seats in the auditorium is

Authenticated
357

Authenticated
358 EPFL Quartier Nord, SwissTech Convention Center
4
v.
Ni
2
v.
Ni
0
v.
Ni

Authenticated
359

Authenticated

Authenticated
361

Authenticated
B1 B2 T2 B3 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 B4 T8 B5 B6 T9 B7 T1
NIV. 7 = 414.38
NIV.6 = 410.46
NIV. 5 = 407.26
NIV. 4 = 404.24
1'1295
NIV. 3 = 401.22
NIV. 2 = 398.20
398.20
397.00
NIV. 1 = 395.00 395.40

394.90
320
FOSSE TECHNIQUE GALA 394.20
26
BASSIN DE RETENTION LOCAL VENTILATION FOSSE GALA 393.40
438
NIV. 0 = 391.80
390.26
24
292
952 2'483 30 995 30

BASSIN DE RETENTION 387.10 FOSSE EP
766 952 2'978 400 566
B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7

Authenticated
363
Longitudinal section through auditorium, foyer, and break-out rooms, showing the main
space of the auditorium, where the majority of seating is mounted on mobile platforms
allowing for a wide range of spatial configurations
10 T11 B8 T12 B9 T13 B10 T14 T15 B11 T16 B12 T17 T18 B13 T19 B14 B15 B16
416.70
REGIE
NIV. 7 = 414.38
NIV.6 = 410.46
591
407.26 NIV. 5 = 407.26

FOYER
30
345
W.C. NIV. 4 = 404.24

20
NIV. 3 = 401.22
503
NIV. 2 = 398.20
398.20 NIV. 2 = 398.20
39
291
FOSSE TECHNIQUE GALA

NIV. 1 = 395.00
STOCKAGE
24
288
WC DAMES VESTIAIRES FOYER SALLES SOUCOMISSIONS 391.80 NIV. 0 = 391.80

53
NIV. -1 = 388.60
757 757 374 1'200 600 840 600 840 255
B8 B9 B10 B11 B12 B13 B14 B15 B16

Authenticated
10 30 m
Above: Lower ground-floor plan of the secondary foyer and flexible break-out rooms,
with escalators leading to the main foyer on the ground floor level, where are also located
technical and storage areas and the lower of two levels of underground parking
10 30 m
Below: Cross-section through the auditorium, main plaza, and courtyard leading to the
principal entrance to the student housing complex
10 30 m
Authenticated
365
10 30 m
Above: Ground-floor plan of the main floor of the auditorium, with the foyer opening onto
a public plaza with restaurants, commercial spaces, and the Metro station
Below: South-facing elevation, with the SwissTech Convention Center and break-out rooms 10 30 m
(left), and student housing (right)

Authenticated
10 30 m
6
8
5 6
Ecran de
signalétique
Ecran de
signalétique 4
Ecran de Ecran de
3
signalétique signalétique

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367

Authenticated
BH BI BJ BK BL
NIV. 7 = 414.38
224
NIV.6 = 410.46
544
320
NIV. 5 = 407.26
302
544
NIV. 4 = 404.24
302
906
NIV. 3 = 401.22 DA
4725
302
FOYER NIV. 2 = 398.20

55
233
200
145
440
440
442
FOYER 391.80
720 720 720 720 720
Brought to you by | Cambridge University Library DA
Authenticated
369

Authenticated
ALTERNATIVE CONFIGURATIONS
A AUDITORIUM FRONT STALLS

Maximum number seats = 1757
B AUDITORIUM REAR STALLS (closed)

C
T1 T9 T10
AUDITORIUM BALCONY (closed)

B1 B2 T2 B3 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 B4 T8 B5 B6 B7 T11 B8 T12 B9 T13 B10 T14 T15 B11 T16 B12 T17 T18 B13 T19 B14 B15

341
5705 198 303 198 303 198 303 198 60
1985
304
Skyfold 419.54 HEA 120 419.63 1985
304
198 5
304
1985
66 135
419.13 Sommet noyaux 418.75

418.25
418.05
95 22 418.50
215 56 T10= 417.24

417.78
416.55
27
417.29
C
416.81
289 15 150
240
80
A+B+C
414.89 414.82
NIV. 7 = 414.38
GRAND AUDITORIUM
415.25
= 3000
414.37 brut 414.27
51
414.57
T5'= 413.77 413.86
965
413.35 414.05
1'157
D
T7= 412.88
Skyfold paroi amovible
413.30
412.84 413.42
Total seating
rideau acoustique
412.33
411.90
411.83
412.31
411.32
Gaine air viciée T5= 410.99
411.54 410.81
60/130
T3= 410.20
Mur de reception Skyfold 410.55 NIV.6 = 410.46
410.30
6155
Passerelle T4= 409.64 409.79

Grille air viciée 409.54
VENTIL 409.29
40cm? x 22m
408.78
409.31
1265
2'2465 1895
T1 408.10
lisse
424
407.26
FOYER
407.26
35mm NIV. 5 = 407.26
407.26
38
407.18 brut 407.18 brut 407.26 fini

8
70
1315 2
1315 5
E
222
65°
407.56 15 110 30 341 86 40

30
50
30
405.94
D
470.17
36 5 154 154 5
40
BALCONY FOYER
75 100 30 4275 40
234
92°
100
228
405.55 405.02
78
345
W.C.
208
NIV. 4 = 404.24
2625
404.77 404.07 404.17 404.24

895
404.07 404.08
Lisse pour éclairage
1
16°
30
Gaine prise air

1015
37
64
403.87
20
B
60/130
1035
Standing capacity = 480

626
20
Grille prise air désenfumage 403.23

40cm? x 22m
1'1425
2405 9155
13°
7565
NIV. 3 = 401.22
6565
2815
503
82
Scène haute 399.40

°
197
NIV. 2 = 398.20 polystyrène extrudé 200mm

398.20
NIV. 2 = 398.20
30
15
13
21
398.07 Module Banquet 398.05

40 4 8
3
397.77
40 20 2
26
24
F
VENTIL 6 5 309 308 5 537
112
e niv. 1
187
84
Scène basse 396.60 397.37

8355 LOCAL VENTIL
30
330
E
315
291
396.03
20
Pente 2% FOSSE TECHNIQUE GALA STOCKAGE 1 396.53
MAIN FOYER
396
33
CC 1 9101 CC 1 8026
395.40 NIV. 1 = 395.00
441
RIDEAU COUPE FEU

40
Niv. 1 = 394.90 Niv. 1 = 394.90 394.90

LOCAL VENTILATION
24
30
394.75
BASSIN DE RETENTION CC 0 9204
300
394.40 FOSSE TECHNIQUE FOSSE TECHNIQUE GALA

394.20
CL 0 9104 BASSIN DE RETENTION B
70
16 CC 1 9102
FOSSE TECHNIQUE
30
24
26
394.64
30
25 852 25 30 394.60
498
e niv. 0 prise
440
10
46
d'air laine minérale 180mm SALLES SOUCOMISSIONS

80
393.40 393.40 393.40 393.40 Plan de coupe niv. 0 FOYER

30
393.22 Pente 2.0% VESTIAIRES

WC DAMES
Standing capacity = 2200

ESC_ROULANT 1 ESC_ROULANT 2
286
CC 0 8026
280
CC 0 9302
240
CC 0 9406 CC 0 9407
240
W.C.
16
225
438
30 2'850 25 525 20 30 8175 25 72 58 25 391.80 391.80

NIV. 0 = 391.80 391.80
25
25
25
25
391.55 391.55 391.55

30
877
30
30
30
30
polystyrène expansé 140mm

99
390.26 390.40
polystyrène expansé isol. phonique 20mm
24
24
390.02
BASSIN DE RETENTION A 30 150
FOSSE EP
CC -1 9103
CC -1 9105 388.60
NIV. -1 = 388.60
292
16 30 3855 30 5795 30 16
16
25 15 952 2'483 30 995 30
387.10 387.20 387.10 387.19
F LOWER LEVEL FOYER – MEETING ROOMS

150
386.20 385.60
30
766 952 2'978 400 566 757 757 374 1'200 600 840 600 840 2
B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 B8 B9 B10 B11 B12 B13 B14 B15

Capacity = 1400–2200
979 EPFL / HRS - Centre de conférences 08.10.2012 Richter · Dahl Rocha & Associés architectes SA
1. 2. 3. 4.

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371
B B
A A
C C
B
A A

Authenticated
Interior lining of the protective shell, where wood veneer panelling introduces warm and
natural finishes, complementing the technical glass and aluminium of the building’s exterior

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373

Authenticated

Authenticated
p.302 375
Colour samples composed by Catherine Bolle

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376
EPFL Quartier Nord, Student Housing, écublens, Switzerland, 2008–2013

Authenticated
p.160 377
On the eastern edge of the site, student housing and commercial and variations in height of the different volumes that make up the complex.
service areas provide a clear border on the public plaza. Extending to the Only the central bodies of the building are carried up to level eight at the
south to include the Metro station, shops and restaurants are sheltered by top. The outer facades clad in serigraphed glass and aluminium louvers
a covered gallery with the hotel and student lodgings above. The large maintain a clear dialogue with the convention center, the coloured
scale of the building is mediated through a series of articulations and window jambs anticipate the exuberance of the inner courtyard.

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378 EPFL Quartier Nord, Student Housing
NIVEAU 2 NIVEAU 4

Authenticated
10 30 m
p.160 379
Plans below, from left to to right: Commercial and service areas open shared apartments around the north courtyard, and studio apartments
directly onto the public plaza on level two. A 70-room hotel surrounds in the southeast wing of the building. Only three wings of student
the south courtyard, and shared student apartments are reached through apartments are carried up to level eight.
access galleries around the north courtyard on level four. On level six are
NIVEAU 6 NIVEAU 8
NIVEAU 6 NIVEAU 8
Authenticated
10 30 m
NIVEAU 6 NIVEAU
Download Date | 3/16/19 3:038PM10 30 m
The shared apartments are arranged around the access galleries. Semi-
private living spaces in turn lead to the individual bedrooms, each with
it’s own private bathroom. All the bedrooms are located on the outer
perimeter, with the living spaces opening directly onto the access galleries
surrounding the courtyard. This interior courtyard elevation is entirely
clad in individually hand painted, fibre-cement panels transformed by
artist Catherine Bolle into Le Chromoscope.

Authenticated
p.160 p.298 381

Authenticated
Studio apartments are arranged on both sides of the long interior

north-south corridor running through the main wing of the building. To
encourage social interaction among students, a variety of common spaces
have been laid out at various points along this main internal thoroughfare.
Double- or single-height spaces are closed off with brilliantly coloured
glass panels, continuing the polychromatic theme of Catherine Bolle’s Le
Chromoscope surounding the courtyards in the access galleries.

Authenticated
p.160 383
Light penetrating the coloured glass panels installed at intervals

along the interior corridor is constantly changing, producing a
lively palette of radiant effects

Authenticated
Authenticated

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THE PROJECT

Invention and Selection

Brought to you by | Cambridge University Library

Creativity and Innovation

The Trouble with Innovation

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The Design Process

Study of named variants

The Challenge of Collective Creativity

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The Place of the Ineffable

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The Teaching of Architecture

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École Hôtelière de Lausanne: A Collective Project

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Tour de l’Esplanade, Fribourg, Switzerland, 2012

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Perimetre Constructible Sous-sol

MIXITE, FLEXIBILITE, DURABILITE

– Pompe à chaleur réversible sur champ de 244 m2

– Panneaux solaire thermiques > eau chaude sanitaire

– Aération douce selon occupation réel

L'ESPACE PUBLIC REQUALIFIE

brumisation en séquences. Aménagement linéaire sur le thème du jardin ferroviaire

+ 626.3 + 626.2 + 626.0 + 625.2

Administratives 5'100 m2 bureaux 13

Tour de l'Esplanade Dialogue intermédiare janvier 2012 bureaux 11

Communautaires 4'650 m2 hotel 7

HRS Real Estate SA - Richter · Dahl Rocha & Associés architectes SA

Hardturm Stadium, Zürich, Switzerland, 2012

In 2011, the city of Zürich organised an international architecture

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The structural concept for the stadium combines two independent

Torre del Bicentenario, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2010

In 2010, the government of Argentina organised a competition for an

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Mobile platforms for boarding the capsules

+0m + 50 m + 100 m + 150 m 1:200 + 200 m

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200m 200m 200m

150m 150m 150m

100m 100m 100m

50m 50m 50m

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Torre Bajo Belgrano, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2011

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MCBA Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2004–2005

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EPFL Quartier Nord, SwissTech Convention Center and Student Housing

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