City of Ecublens Award 2025
Maquette de détail © EPFL / PDM Gautier Pierrat
The master’s project by Gautier Pierrat, conducted at the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST), received the City of Ecublens Prize at the recent 2025 graduation ceremony. Addressing the challenges faced by mountain regions affected by climate change, his work presents an innovative and integrated approach to transforming mobility practices in Alpine villages.
The Valais region’s dependence on cars is increasingly being questioned, as Alpine roads are regularly disrupted by landslides, mudslides, and floods. In this context, suspended transport systems—based on existing or future cable infrastructures—could offer a viable alternative to road travel. Gautier Pierrat’s project builds on this idea, focusing on the mountain village of La Tzoumaz, soon to be connected to the plains by a new cable car.
The arrival of this infrastructure becomes the foundation for an architectural and logistical vision exploring the feasibility of a car-free village. Situated at the intersection of the main street and the ski area, the arrival station holds a strategic position. A long pedestrian walkway extends the cable line into the village center, seamlessly bridging elevation changes. Along this route, various facilities take shape: a passenger station, which transcends its transport role by integrating a restaurant and co-working spaces; and a logistics station, housed in a renovated car park, where goods delivered by cable are received, sorted, and stored.
This platform supports a network of artisans and local businesses, benefiting from both pedestrian flow and efficient goods movement. By merging infrastructure, architecture, and logistics, the project envisions a new model of Alpine mobility and living—more resilient, sustainable, and adapted to climate challenges.
The follow-up group of this master's project entitled “De la route au câble : vers un futur sans voiture à La Tzoumaz?”, consisted of Prof. Emmanuel Rey (supervisor, LAST), Prof. Elena Cogato Lanza (professor, LAB-U), and Clément Cattin (mentor, LAST).