Report: The Cutting Edge of Research – EPFL’s SwissTech Convention Center
- Frank Kaltenbach
One of the most noted buildings of recent years sports an undulating roof and curved courtyards of varying sizes: the Rolex Learning Center by Japan’s SANAA. Now, on the campus’s northwest corner, a further striking “building block” has opened. This one demonstrates the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne’s position as top university research facility and decisively expands upon its offerings: the new conference building accommodates up to 3000 people. Its facets nearly as sharp as a diamond’s, the SwissTech Convention Center, with impressively cantilevering roof toward the south, at first appears to be a solitaire. But in combination with the neighbouring block – which houses a shopping centre, restaurants, a 70-room hotel and a residence for 516 students – it is part of the energetic ensemble envisioned in the 2006 competition design also authored by Richter Dahl Rocha & Associés. While the conference centre is clad in a building envelope of anodised aluminium reminiscent of scale armour, the aluminium panels sheathing the student lodging are deliberately techno, yet still invitingly domestic. In conjunction with the metro station, which has been erected right in front of the foyer, the building becomes the new gate to the entire university campus. Catherine Bolle’s polychromatic building-envelope installation introduces warm colours, a contrast to the latter’s otherwise technological palette. She and her colleague Daniel Schlaepfer implemented their concept of translucent strips of colour – extending as high as 15 m in front of the west facade – where the glazing follows the sloped ceiling of the foyers. On foggy days the view of the single-family homes of the neighbouring village is blurred; in the evening sun, it brings to mind the colour filters accompanying spotlights. Moreover, the light passing through this facade projects colourful strips of light on to the floor of the otherwise sober hall, bathing it in mystical light. And the function of the colourful glass louvers extends beyond solar control. From the technological point of view, it is a world premiere, for this is the first large-scale application of electro-chemical thin-film solar cells. These so-called Grätzel cells are named after EPFL professor Michael Grätzel, who developed this innovative technology. The chemical composition of the dyes makes it possible to produce electricity even on days when the sky is overcast. The orientation to the sun does not play a decisive role. The dye-sensitized solar modules are integrated in stacked, 41 × 210 cm aluminium-glass panes, which were mounted in different angles to the facade. Despite their advantages (greater freedom in the design process and comparably sustainable production), the efficiency factor is still far inferior to that of conventional silicon cells. The ample daylight in the auditorium and great degree of flexibility in arranging the rooms make the SwissTech Convention Center a versatile “machine for holding events in”. The two large space trusses rest on cores in the north and in the middle of the building and cantilever about 40 metres beyond the foyer. In just 15 minutes the 2000-seat auditorium can be transformed into a 1900 m² banquet hall with level floor. This is made possible by pivoting the seating affixed to the adjustable height floor planks down into the cavity. The balcony, which seats 865, can be separated from the auditorium, as well, and transformed into a room seating 468. The SwissTech Convention Center is not the final step in the restructuring of the EPFL Campus. Dominique Perrault’s multi-storey Teaching Bridge, which will offer a panoramic view of Lake Geneva, is scheduled for completion in 2018.
