Two Mentions at the SIA Master Prize in Architecture 2025
© Manu Friedrich
On the occasion of the fourth edition of the Master Prize in Architecture, awarded by the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA), two projects from EPFL Architecture received an Honourable Mention, recognising the quality and commitment reflected in these diploma projects.
Among the awarded works is the project by Léa Guillotin, Re-fabricating Sévelin: The Image of Industry in the City Centre. Located in Lausanne’s Sévelin district—today largely shaped by the service sector—the project questions the role of industry in the contemporary city in light of current ecological and logistical challenges. Building on the last remaining industrial complex from the 1930s, rich in historical memory, it proposes the creation of a reuse centre for materials sourced from building deconstruction, complemented by live-work spaces for artisans. A modular protective structure envelops the existing halls, enabling a gradual and reversible transformation. The project envisions a local, circular form of urban industry that is open to the public and attentive to the valorisation of heritage.
Project on the Living Archives ↗︎
The second Honourable Mention recognises the project by Marie Bourdon and Juliette Lafrasse, From 5 to 6. Transforming Commercial Warehouses into Collective Housing. Located on the outskirts of Annecy, in a context of strong demographic growth, the project proposes an ambitious conversion of commercial warehouses into collective housing. It imagines a new way of living based on mixed uses and the quality of shared spaces. By activating the interstitial spaces between existing structures with generous communal areas, the project develops “houses” capable of accommodating diverse lifestyles while fostering social connections. The rigorous and precise approach is grounded in a clear urban strategy, spanning from the territorial scale to intimate domestic dimensions.
Project on the Living Archives ↗︎
