Rolex Learning Center

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Rolex Learning Center
Rolex Learning Center, July 2009

Rolex Learning Center, July 2009

Data
place Lausanne
architect SANAA
Client EPFL
Architectural style Organic architecture
Construction year 2007-2010
height 9.22 m
Floor space 20,200 (166.5 m × 121.5 m) m²
Coordinates 533 214  /  152 264 coordinates: 46 ° 31 '6 "  N , 6 ° 34' 6"  O ; CH1903:  533 214  /  152,264
particularities
Library, restaurant, cafeteria and conference room without walls; Workrooms with all-round glazing

The Rolex Learning Center is a multifunctional building of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Lausanne , it is located near the north shore of Lake Geneva and was opened on February 22, 2010.

building

The building complex was designed by the Japanese architecture firm SANAA . The two Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa , the founders of SANAA, unanimously won the competition award for the tender in 2004. Structural engineers were Klaus Bollinger and Manfred Grohmann .

In addition to the library, a lecture hall, exhibition hall, conference room, work rooms for students and scientists, office space, a cafeteria, a restaurant and quiet areas were to be accommodated in the building. SANAA distributed the various functional areas on a horizontal level, undulating them and creating new rooms and central access to the center under these undulations. A little over half of the two hectare usable area consists of undulating and unused areas, so-called "white rooms", which create the flowing transitions in the houses that are so typical in Japan.

In order to bring enough natural light into the building, fourteen round recesses were made in the platform. They cover 20% of the total area. The ribbon windows of the inner light shafts and patios are all unique because of the curvature of the floor and windows . Some work rooms are also shielded from the environment by round, transparent glass walls ( bubbles ). In order to compensate for the tension in the building, the windows have been fastened with special brackets that give them the necessary freedom of movement.

190 thin pillars support the roof, which runs parallel to the corrugated floor. Inside and outside, only glass windows delimit the center; there are no doors, walls or corridors. Only the building depressions and hills subdivide the different areas in a subtle way. All barriers between the faculties are lifted here. While the floor slab is made of concrete, the roof ceiling is made of lightweight steel and glued laminated timber that is not very temperature-sensitive . A thin layer of concrete insulates the roof ceiling.

  • inside view

  • Building sink

  • Arched floor level

The arches of the floor cover are supported with steel arches that are tensioned in the ground with concrete prestressed steel . Only in this way could the curved roof areas be perforated with light shafts and still remain stable. The roof had to be poured in one go, which required 48 hours of uninterrupted concreting. A secret mixture was developed for the concrete mix, as the concrete was not allowed to be too fluid or too firm. In order to reduce the noise level, a felt carpet was laid at the client's request, while the architects were able to use a concrete color. Colorful cushions that lie in piles across the building are used for relaxation. Small cable cars and serpentine-like ramps were subsequently installed at the request of disabled people's associations in order to make steeper heights accessible to wheelchair users.

  • EPFL's large inner courtyard

  • Large courtyard

  • Small light shaft

  • Southeast corner

The construction costs amounted to 110 million Swiss francs, 52 million came from private donors. In addition to long-term EPFL sponsor Rolex , Credit Suisse , Nestlé , Logitech , Losinger, Novartis and SICPA were also involved. The Rolex Learning Center quickly became a landmark and communication center for the university. The building is open every day, except on public holidays, from 7 a.m. to midnight. Two months after the opening, SANAA received the Pritzker Prize .

Library, level area

Library

The central functional area is the terraced , 6,200 m² library. It has around 500,000 volumes of printed literature and employs around 100 people. It has almost 200 workplaces for students, which, because of the curvature of the floor, is a big reduction from the originally desired 800 places. The center's electronic library provides access to around 10,000 online journals and 17,000 e-books.

Foreign ministers press conference

Foreign Ministers Press Conference at the Rolex Learning Center, April 2, 2015

On April 2, 2015, the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, the European Union, Great Britain, the USA, China and Russia attended a photo opportunity in the forum (lecture hall area) of the Rolex Learning Center to present a framework agreement for the Iranian nuclear program . This framework agreement became the basis of a final agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA ), which was signed in Vienna on July 15 and ended the nuclear dispute with Iran after 13 years of negotiations.

literature

  • Laura Ceriolo: The Rolex Learning Center dell'Epfl, un "intimo spazio pubblico". In: Il giornale dell'architettura , numero 83, April 2010, ISSN  0394-0543 , (beginning of the article) .
  • K. Bollinger, M. Grohmann, A. Weilandt, M. Wagner, R. Walther, G. Santini, S. von Ah: The EPFL's ROLEX Learning Center in Lausanne. In: Concrete and reinforced concrete construction . Volume 105, Issue 4, 2010, pp. 248-259, ISSN  0005-9900 , (detailed building documentation), (abstract) .
  • Oriel Prizeman: Typology quarterly: Libraries. In: Architectural Review. 1377, November 2011, pp. 83-95, ISSN  0003-861X .
  • Rolex Learning Center, Lausanne, Switzerland. In: Architectural Review. 1377, November 2011, pp. 90-91 (83-95).
  • SANAA en el Rolex Learning Center de Lausanne, Suiza / Rolex Learning Center of the EPFL, Lausanne. In: Arquitectura Viva. Volume 128, No. IX-X, 2009 [Hormigón sostenible], pp. 34-41, ISSN  0214-1256 .
  • Kazuyo Sejima, Ryue Nishizawa: Olas precisas: EPFL Rolex Learning Center, Lausana (Suiza) / Precise waves: the EPFL Rolex Learning Center in Lausanne, Switzerland. In: Arquitectura Viva. Volume 124, No. I-II, 2009 [Banda ancha], Técnica / Diseño. Pp. 92-95.

Movies

See also

Web links

Commons : Rolex Learning Center  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Rolex Learning Center at: Volcania. Organic Architecture: A Collection , accessed May 13, 2013.
  2. ^ Press kit of the EPFL Learning Center. In: EPFL - École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne , June 1, 2010, English, (PDF; 15 p., 136 kB).
  3. ^ Clifford Pearson: Architectural record: SANAA Designs Artificial Landscape. In: Architectural Record , February 17, 2010, (English).
  4. ^ A b c d e Juliette Garcias: The Rolex Learning Center in Lausanne. Synopsis of arte. ( Memento from May 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive ). In: arte , May 5, 2013.
  5. ^ A b Frank Kaltenbach: Rolex Learning Center in Lausanne. In: Detail , ISSN  0011-9571 , 2010, issue 5.
  6. ↑ a b Patrick Imhasly: "It would be nice if we had the Nobel Prize". In: NZZ , April 25, 2010, interview with EPFL President Patrick Aebischer .
  7. ^ Rolex Learning Center - Major New Swiss Building. In: e-architect.co.uk , January 6, 2010.
  8. ↑ Jasmin Jouhar: Explorer hill with a view of the Alps . In: designlines.de , April 19, 2010.
  9. ^ Iranian nuclear negotiations: framework agreement presented on campus. In: École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne , April 2, 2015, (English), accessed on June 27, 2016.
    Switzerland welcomes the conclusion of a nuclear agreement between Iran and the E3 / EU + 3. In: Federal Department of Foreign Affairs , July 14, 2015, accessed on June 27, 2016.