Awards for several Master Projects completed at the LAST
Urbanités familiales © EPFL / PDM Benjamin Porcher
Three Master Projects completed at the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST) have recently been honored. The Master Project developed by Benjamin Porcher was awarded the "Prix SIA Vaud" and has been nominated for the Prix Master Architecture 2023 organized by the Swiss society of engineers and architects (SIA) and the Architectural Council of Switzerland, while those of Amélie Gaillet and San Yun were nominated for the Best Theoretical Statement Award. The three approaches resonate with the laboratory's research on the contribution of architectural design to the transition toward sustainability in urban areas.
In the context of a climate emergency and shrinking available resources, the need to preserve arable land for agriculture and protect ecosystems for biodiversity encourages the regeneration of already urbanized areas. Faced with this situation, architectural design is expected to play a central role in the search for alternatives, such as carefully densifying buildings close to public transport, reconverting obsolete infrastructures with a view to a low-carbon society, and working towards climate protection and adaptation.
In this optic, the master project developed by Benjamin Porcher entitled "Urbanités familiales" provides an analysis renouvelée de la densité dans le contexte parisien et une proposition architecturale au sein du tissu existant to contribute to the climate and social adaptation in our cities. The follow-up group of this theoretical statement and master project consisted of Prof. Emmanuel Rey (supervisor, LAST), Prof. Corentin Fivet (professor, SXL) and Sophie Lufkin (teaching assistant, LAST).
The theoretical statement developed by Amélie Gaillet and entitled "Parking Suisse. Histoire et devenir" examined the question of how to convert existing parking lots. The approach is characterized by its coherence, enabling us to analyze the different types of parking lots built in Switzerland over the last century, and to understand their reconversion in the context of a post-carbon society. The follow-up group of this theoretical statement was composed of Prof. Emmanuel Rey (supervisor, LAST), Prof. Franz Graf (professor, TSAM), and Loïc Fumeaux (teaching assistant, LAST).
For its part, the theoretical statement developed by San Yun and entitled "(Next) STEP Vaudoises. De l'épuration des eaux usées à l'algoculture" explored the current evolution of Vaud's wastewater treatment infrastructures, some of which are becoming obsolete and raising major questions in terms of reconversion. In particular, the project analyzed the different types of buildings that will be abandoned in the coming years and explored their conversion potential. The follow-up group of this theoretical statement was composed of Prof. Emmanuel Rey (supervisor, LAST), Prof. Elena Cogato Lanza (professor), and Martine Laprise (teaching assistant, LAST).