Publication of the SIA Prize
Rendering © Edouard Massip, 2013
A special edition of the magazine TEC21, Tracés and archi presents the projects distinguished by the 2013 SIA Prize, which rewards the best Master Projects at ETH in Zurich, at EPFL in Lausanne and at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio. Amongst these, one can find Edouard Massip's Master Project, carried out at the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST). Exploring the issues of urban revitalization, this work focused on the proposition of a new vision for the urban area around the Occitan Place in Toulouse (France), which is currently characterized by a lack of attractiveness and continuity by its public spaces.
The SIA Prize is a Swiss distinction awarded by the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH), the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the Accademia di architettura di Mendrisio (AAM). This distinction goes back to the sixties when the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA) awarded a prize for Architecture degree works for the first time in Lausanne. The Architecture Professional Group of the SIA awards it to encourage a new generation of high-level professionals.
The principles of urban planning in the 70s often do not respond anymore to urban uses of today. A good example of this discrepancy is the elevated square of the current district of Saint-Georges in Toulouse, which is disconnected from its environment and thus contributes to the erosion of the social fabric of the city. The Master Project of Edouard Massip, through a targeted modification of the square and its surroundings, aims to give life to this public space. The pragmatic approach that is proposed here is based on the existing structure. The slab is demolished and the site upgraded, thus opening the public space to the city and reconnecting the area to its surroundings.
The supervision group who followed this Master Project was constituted of Prof. Emmanuel Rey (advisor), Monique Ruzicka-Rossier (lecturer), Loïc Fumeaux (assistant) and Jacques Munvez (expert).
Edouard Massip, "Remise à niveau. Restructuration d'un quartier sur dalle dans le centre-ville de Toulouse (F)", Master Project in architecture, 2013