Two Masterplans sketch out the future of our campuses

EPFL is as big as a town, as complex as a manufacturing plant and as energetic as an innovation hub. All this comes with a fair number of challenges, which our Vice Presidency for Operations (VPO) is addressing through two new Masterplans. Developed in association with representatives of our entire community, these Masterplans provide a flexible framework for supporting our School’s growth and development. Today, nearly 20,000 people come to our campuses every day to study, teach, conduct research, innovate, launch new ventures and keep our School running smoothly. EPFL is set to keep growing, yet we have a finite budget and human resources. That’s why we need to plan now for the long term – while remaining agile in the short term – and to set clear priorities for how our campuses will evolve over time. This is what the two Masterplans will enable: one is for renovating and expanding the capacity of EPFL buildings and facilities (Masterplan for the renovation of EPFL buildings and infrastructure and for the densification of the Campus, in French only) and the other spells out plans for our IT systems (Masterplan for the development and upgrading of information systems).

The first Masterplan covers the period from now until 2050; the second one, which addresses a field that changes at a much faster pace than physical buildings, runs until 2028 for our IT systems and 2032 for our IT facilities. Here are a few figures to put the scope of the Masterplans into perspective: the total surface area of our buildings (which belong to the Swiss government) is approximately 489,000 m² by comprehensive floor area or 220,000 m² by usable space, and they have a replacement value of around CHF 2 billion. We also have around 320,000 m² of outdoor space. Regarding our IT systems, we have some 120 different applications to maintain (ISAcademia, Catalyse, Absence, etc.). In parallel, the size of our student body is expected to double from 7,400 in 2010 to an estimated 15,000 in 2026. Taking all these factors together, the VPO decided to group the necessary work into four broad categories:

• IT system enhancement programs – for example, in the areas of cybersecurity and data management
• Building renovation programs – for example, the Coupole renovation and the redevelopment of the Esplanade
• Specific renovation campaigns – for example, to renovate elevators, rooftops and plumbing systems, or to stem the proliferation of quagga mussels
• Campaigns to replace IT equipment – for example, to replace our data storage systems and WiFi antennas.

In these Masterplans, a “program” consists of several projects working towards the same goal, whereas a “campaign” is a more targeted effort that addresses specific topics over time.

Developing these Masterplans was an extensive process that took over two years and involved representatives of our vice presidencies, schools and colleges, central services, researchers, students and the EPFL Assembly; we also ran a survey of our entire community and got input from sounding boards. The priorities described in the Masterplans were set through a participative approach. “These Masterplans give us two solid foundations to build on as we map out important projects and quantify the resources needed to ensure our buildings and IT systems keep up with our research and education activities, both now and in the future,” says Matthias Gäumann, EPFL’s Vice President for Operations. As mentioned above, the Masterplans will enable EPFL to remain agile even as we establish a roadmap for the next 10 to 15 years. They should be viewed as two statements of intent that will be reviewed periodically and that will be subject to our budgeting decisions.

We encourage you to read the Masterplans. Not only are they a strategic necessity for our School, but they’ll also give you glimpse into often unexplored aspects of the facilities and services we use every day.