Project Room Competition - Results!!

Visions to activate the Project Room (Foyer SG) © 2021 EPFL
In March, Archizoom launched an ideas competition to design a system of spatial elements capable of activating the Project Room - a multi-purpose space in the SG building. The winning projects have been chosen by the jury.
Archizoom was pleased to launch in March an ideas competition for architecture students and Faculty members to design a system of props capable of activating the Project Room – a polyvalent space located in the SG building. In the past, events such as exhibitions, lectures, workshops and studio reviews related to both EPFL Architecture and the EPFL at large were hosted in the space.
To formulate a new identity for the space, the community was asked to consider its multi-purpose character in responding to a variety of programmatic needs ranging from the formal – e.g. exhibitions, lectures, conferences, and reviews – to the informal – e.g. working, reading, meetings, and discussions. Students, assistants and PhD candidates from the ENAC Faculty were eligible to enter the competition.
Eighteen projects have been submitted, which explored and expanded the potentials of the Project Room. A jury consisting of Laurent Chassot of Studio 17, Alexandre Willaume of Studio Bouroullec and Archizoom members Cyril Veillon, Clémence Dubuis, Elena Chiavi and Teresa Cheung selected two runner ups and two joint winners, whose proposals will be further developed this summer in collaboration with Laurent Chassot and Archizoom:
Winners:
- Curtain Room (Chiara Lombardi-Dellamonica, Francesca Igowa, Mélanie Schroff, Antoine Foehrenbacher)
- S.O.S - Project Room (Alice Fiorini, Luciano Antonietti)
Runner Ups:
- Escamotages (Claire Logoz, Bastian Marzoli)
- Oikonomia (Ombline Heili, Paul Wang)
The winning proposals offer a vision for the Project Room as a place for diversity and inclusivity, hosting a multiplicity of uses – a non-hierarchical space of potentials. For these reasons, the jury selected two complementary proposals: Curtains room, a series of curtains able to define spaces for exhibitions, talks, reviews, performances, informal encounters, and S.O.S - Project Room, a mobile and colorful series of steps, allowing users to easily make the space more welcoming for events, discussions, but also exhibitions, aperitifs, etc.
The jury was also very touched by the proposals Escamotages and Oikonomia, who are rewarded both with a distinction. Escamotages for its completeness and spatial coherence, envisioning an imaginary and quasi utopical Project Room. Oikonomia for offering a clever process of maintenance and reuse of existing resources.
The 18 submissions are displayed at the entrance of Archizoom exhibition space in June. The fabrication of the winners' proposals shall be finished by September for the opening of the next academic Semester.
More informations:
- Preparation of Shop Drawings and Fabrication: Summer 2021
- Installation: September 2021
- Vernissage: Opening Assembly 21st September, 2021
- Production: Winners team, Studio 17 and Archizoom