Rolex Learning Center
(3 vote, 93.33% worth checking out)
Location:
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EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)
Lausanne
1015
Switzerland
coordinates: 46.5181236,6.5687513
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Building names(s): Rolex Learning Center
Architect/Designer: SANAA
Images: add an image <== click Here
Show on map & checkout the other sites nearby EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)
Lausanne
1015
Switzerland
coordinates: 46.5181236,6.5687513
open coordinates in google maps
open coordinates in apple map
Building names(s): Rolex Learning Center
Architect/Designer: SANAA
Images: add an image <== click Here
Completion date: February 2010
function(s): academic
construction costs: 110 Million CHF
site area: 88,000sqm (166.5m x 121.5m)
footprint: 20,200sqm
floor area: 37,000sqm
no. of floors: 1 Basement + 1 Main
function: mixed use
Multimedia Library – 500,000 volumes
Student Workspaces – 860 seats
Multipurpose Hall “Forum Rolex” – 600 seats
Café + Bar – 53 seats + exterior
Food Court – 128 seats + exterior
Restaurant – 80 seats
offices & shops
Parking – 500 places
3 comments/reviews
William JR Curtis says:
Jul 12, 2010
The client wanted a flagship building for the institution, and SANAA responded with an open social landscape of waving floors and roofs, punctured here and there by curving courtyards. Of course ‘folds’ are in fashion at the moment, ….. But once the gimmich has worn off the Learning Centre risks becoming monotonous, like an airport lobby. The geometry, which pretends to be liberating, is far too insistent, and the light is glaring: thought needs more shadows. In this continuous space the functions of a social forum, canteen and commercial area interfere with the privacy, silence and peace of mind required for a library. The lack of internal partitions seems to have necessitated a squad of security guards. As for the exterior, the landscape metaphor seems forced, especially when the building is experienced against the real Swiss landscape of lake and mountains. The very title ‘Learning Centre’ suggests the management jargon of ‘globalisation’, and the building has more the air of a commercial headquarters or slick showroom on the urban periphery than a centre devoted to real learning, reflection and research.
An interview with the architects, Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa says:
Mar 2, 2010
What was the process that led to your final design?
The Library, multipurpose hall, café, and many other different programs were stacked to make a tall multi-storey tower in our first studies. But finally, as the program defined a meeting place for students engaged in many fields of study we felt that everything on one floor and in one room was best. We did not make a normal one-room space but incorporated patios and topography to organise the program such that each is separated and connected at the same time. The large one-room space undulates up and down creating an open space under the building so that people can walk to the centre of the build- ing. This enabled us to make one main entrance at the centre of the building.
What were your influences and inspiration for the design?
It is not that we had a particular shape in mind. We arrived at what we thought was the most appropriate shape by studying the required program and the relationships between individual parts. In other words, we asked ourselves: what kind of space can a lot of people, doing different activities at the same time, enjoy being in? After we had the final shape, we used stairs and ramps from Lausanne and the Swiss landscape as precedents to learn how the gentle slopes can be used and enjoyed.
What do you think good architecture can contribute to the process of learning?
The whole program is located in a one-room space, where people studying one topic might become interested in another because the space is very open and connected. We imagined that this type of open space might increase the possibility for new meetings or trigger new activities. In comparison to traditional study spaces, where corridors and classrooms are clearly separated, we hope that there will be many different ways to use the new space and that there will be more active interaction, which in turn will trigger new activities.
The Rolex Learning Center is a highly innovative building. Can you tell us about the clientʼs original brief?
This education centre, made up of a library, multipurpose hall, café, restaurant and offices is a central element in the campus plan, not only the EPFL plan but also the adjacent university plan. Unlike a tradi- tional library, the client wanted to create a new type of space where many different fields of study ex- change knowledge freely and easily.
Could you describe some of the technical challenges involved in realising it?
The long span shells in the structure; the 3-dimensional topography and its relationships to the program; realising a building made outside of Japan; the arrangement of slopes, stairs, and the inclined elevator were some of the challenges.
The topography of the Rolex Learning Center is unique. Can you talk about the human experience of inhabiting it might be like and how people might use it?
This building has both architectural and topographical qualities so the experiences will be diverse. The act of entering or exiting a room, or studying at a desk might be an architectural experience but to criss- cross a slope, or to climb it with the funicular-like inclined elevator might be an experience closer to be- ing on a hill outdoors. Also, the topography created by the architecture will induce architectural experi- ences that have not been felt in traditional buildings. When standing on top of the hill, you might not see the other hill but might hear faint voices, or you might not be able to see the other place but your body can sense there is a connection to another space. Unlike traditional one-room spaces, new relationships will emerge and we hope this will create a new type of architectural experience.
How does the Rolex Learning Center relate to its location – to the geography and climate of Lausanne?
An access road wraps the site on all four sides, which is surrounded by the existing campus, with the lake to the south. The Rolex Learning Center is open to all sides so people can access the building from any direction. The landscape created inside of the building is in a continuum with the landscape of the campus and the city.
What are your hopes for the future users of your building, and their enjoyment of this extraordinary place?
The building is not traditional, but new, so we hope that the people will use it in a new and original way.
What attracted you to the idea of working on a building devoted to learning about science and engineering as opposed to other uses such as museum, gallery or domestic spaces? We were excited by the opportunity to think about spaces where people meet, study, and create entirely new sets of knowledge.
Energy Efficiency says:
Mar 2, 2010
The Rolex Learning Center is a highly energy-efficient building which, for its low energy consump- tion, has received the coveted Minergie label – the standard used in Switzerland for measuring environmental excellence in buildings.
The building is largely daylit with carefully controlled natural ventilation systems, except for the restaurant and multimedia library, which have cold ceilings. It achieves a 38.5 kWh/m2 (139 MJ/m2) energy consumption thanks to high quality double-glazed windows, 20cm of insulation in the roof and up to 35 cm in the ground, exterior blinds, natural lighting and ventilation, and be- cause it takes advantage of the 25-year-old installation of thermal pumps that use lake water for cooling the whole campus. This degree of energy efficiency was achieved by the pioneering engi- neering firm Sorane SA, based near to the campus and comprised of engineers from Lausanne and Zurich. Using digital modelling for airflow, lighting, and thermal measurements, the firm in- creased the energy efficiency of the new building to a technical maximum while at the same time ensuring the safety of its users in case of a fire. Obtaining the Minergie label is an even more out- standing achievement given the energy challenges of an open plan building.