Exhibition of the architectural design studios of the EPFL
LAST
From June 3 to 4, 2016, the architectural design studios of the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) opened their doors to the public. Entitled "Ubiquitous Exhibition", this event was conceived as a simultaneous exhibition of each design studio work during the past academic year. In this context, the studio of Prof. Emmanuel Rey presented in the Archizoom space the work done at different scales on the specific theme of new suburban polarities.
The exhibition not only allowed to discover the students' work but also to understand the center of interests of each studio, as well as their different didactical and methodological approaches. Prof. Emmanuel Rey’s studio, entitled "SUBURBAN POLARITY", this year explored the issue of densification of suburban areas close to public transport. The approach especially focused on conceiving a dense and mix-use pole and to develop it from urban design to construction detail.
The chosen site for this exercise constituted a particularly suitable field of investigation for this goal. It was a portion of western Lausanne, particularly emblematic of issues related to the announced mutation of suburban areas. As a large area at the intersection of several landscape entities, it currently consists of fallow fields and undeveloped land to be intensified.
Due to its specific geographical location, near a future public transportation line, the site is intended to welcome both accommodations and activities spaces. It is of particular strategic importance, since it is capable of accommodating more than 3’000 inhabitants and 2’000 jobs in a new neighborhood, whose identity remains to be invented. In that perspective, the visions developed by the students reveal, demonstrate and illustrate the great potential of the place in this suburban area.