INTEGRATE THE PROJECT INTO THE EXISTING STRUCTURE

Students at EPFL have been working on a highly topical issue: how should we approach buildings at the very moment they are designated as heritage sites? The ADHER project workshop at EPFL, led by Professor Claudia Devaux, was invited to envisage the transformation and extension of the buildings on the historic Écublens campus, whilst these are currently being listed and catalogued with a Grade 1 heritage rating by the Canton of Vaud — the highest distinction, recognising their exceptional architectural and historical value.

To inform this reflection, the Archives of Modern Construction (ACM) were utilised as an active tool in the design process. Consultation of the Jakob Zweifel collection — the architect responsible for planning the campus from 1970 onwards — enabled the early phases of the site’s development to be traced: its grid and modulation principles, its typologies, its circulation routes and its networks.

This archival work was then cross-referenced with the built reality through on-site surveys and analyses, revealing the transformations and adaptations that have shaped the campus over time.

From this dual perspective—between document and site, between history and project—emerged the graphic analyses and models that form the substance of this exhibition.

Exhibition produced by ARCHIZOOM in collaboration with the ADHER project studio and the Archives de la construction moderne (ACM) at EPFL.