“We hope people will come and put our architects on the spot”

Cyril Veillon was born in Lausanne and spent most of his childhood in the Vallée de Joux. Following his undergraduate studies in Lausanne and Geneva, he obtained a Master’s in art history from Paris 8 University Vincennes-Saint-Denis. Veillon’s career has been devoted to sharing his passion for architecture and design with the general public. He has done this in part by helping produce documentaries for television and curating museum exhibitions. He also opened a modern art gallery in Lausanne in 2004. He was appointed Archizoom director in 2008 when Édith Bianchi, the previous director and the center’s founder, retired. Veillon has therefore spent nearly 15 years enhancing EPFL’s cultural offering, primarily through the two exhibitions that Archizoom puts on every year along with its line-up of guest talks, panel discussions and workshops.

The center opened in 1974 to serve as a revolutionary kind of exhibition hall for architecture themes. “EPFL was a pioneer in this regard, as our School was one of the first to introduce a cultural program on architecture that’s open to the general public,” says Veillon. “Since then, just about every large architecture school has set up an exhibition space. It’s become part of the process of recognizing and promoting architects’ work. For architects, exhibitions are highly valuable for their resumes – they’re akin to the peer reviews done in other disciplines before research is published.”

Archizoom is run by EPFL’s School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), but is free to make its own decisions about what topics to address. “Sometimes we decide not to pursue a topic suggested by the architecture school’s management,” says Veillon. “We’re lucky that here at EPFL – unlike at other universities – our center is much more than just a venue for showcasing architecture projects. Our program can help shape lines of thought. We inform and support research and teaching at EPFL, but don’t necessarily follow in its footsteps. For us it’s important to be able to challenge the status quo.”

Raising awareness through exhibitions

Veillon and his Archizoom colleagues strive to address current issues and respond to modern societal concerns, sometimes even before those concerns become mainstream. They help build bridges among the different segments of the architecture profession, from practitioners and university researchers to students and the general public. It’s this liaison role that Veillon particularly enjoys: “Even though Archizoom is focused on architecture, it’s not intended only for architects. For other forms of cultural expression, like classical music and modern art, people can choose whether to nurture an interest, but architecture and urban development are subjects that affect us all. We can’t avoid them. At Archizoom, we hope people will come and put our architects on the spot, challenge what they do and help push for change.”

Veillon considers various Archizoom exhibitions to be particularly important. For example, he would point to one in 2017 called Architecture en terre d’aujourd’hui [Contemporary Earth Architecture], as he feels it truly raised people’s awareness. “Once the event was over, we saw more architecture students use earth as a building material in their projects,” says Veillon. “And students who have since graduated are still examining how earth can be employed as an alternative to the ubiquitous concrete.” Another exhibition that made an impact was Agriculture and Architecture: Taking the Country’s Side, which ran in 2020. It was based on a class taught at EPFL by visiting professor Sébastien Marot. The idea behind the exhibition was to illustrate how agriculture and architecture have developed in parallel throughout history and to explore possible avenues for the future, especially since energy will become an increasingly precious resource. “The event was really popular among not only students but also the broader community,” says Veillon. “Geneva city leaders even came on an official visit.”

Continuing the family philanthropy

Veillon, an avid reader, has served on the board of the Charles Veillon Foundation since 1994 and been its chairman since 2014. He regrets not having more time to devote to this philanthropic activity. “The Foundation was established when my grandfather, Charles Veillon, passed away. He had set up a prize in literature and the Foundation was created to carry on his work,” he says. The Foundation gives out a European Essay Award every year together with CHF 20,000 in prize money. The winner is selected through a series of discussions among selection panel members. “I’m lucky to be able to chair the meetings,” he says. “The panel consists of people from many different backgrounds who lock horns in a highly passionate debate about the essays, fervently defending their preferred author. And the closer we get to a decision, the more heated the discussions become. For me it’s an enlightening experience.” The 2022 winner was Mona Chollet for Réinventer l’amour [Reinventing Love], published by Éditions La Découverte.