URBAN REGENERATION | Yearbook of the 2013-2014 LAST Studio
Entitled URBAN REGENERATION, the 2013-2014 Yearbook of Prof. Emmanuel Rey's studio is available online. Carried out at the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST), this publication presents a summary of the work achieved for the development of a new neighborhood in the city of Yverdon-les-Bains.
By an approach at different levels of intervention, from urban design to constructive detail, Prof. Emmanuel Rey's studio aims at analyzing, exploring and experimenting the specific issues related to the contribution of the architectural project to the sustainable city, in particular in the perspective of an urban densification near public transport and an experimentation of sustainable construction approaches.
The area chosen for 2013-2014 consisted of a part of the city of Yverdon-les-Bains, the development of which is presently questioned and which has revealed being emblematic of the issues related to the reorientation of urban development. The approach of the studio was to initiate an exploration of various forms of urban dense development leading to a new interaction between the city and the lakeside.
In programmatic terms, the studio concentrated on mixed-use building questions (housing and activities), of which the issues were treated in an iterative manner at different scales from 1/2500 to 1/20. Environmental, typological and constructive approaches also allowed students to explore in a specific and detailed manner the relationships between perceived space and built space.
Thanks to the students' commitment and the rich contributions of speakers from many disciplines, the results obtained during the academic year 2013-2014 lead to the production of several possible visions for the future of this strategic area located between the railway station and the lakeside. From an urban design point of view, the multiple and original solutions proposed nourish the on-going discussions in Yverdon-les-Bains and, even further, the issues related to conditions of urban quality and densification.