Vortex Student Housing

VORTEX STUDENT HOUSING

Dürig AG + Itten+Brechbühl AG

Vortex Student Housing
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
Vortex Student Housing
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

AREA
32089 m²

YEAR
2020

LOCATION
Chavannes-près-renens, Switzerland

CLIENTS
Caisse De Pensions De L’etat De Vaud (Cpev), Represented By Retraites Populaires

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Guillaume Schobinger, Vincent Wolfensberger

CATEGORY
Apartments

LANDSCAPE
Itten+Brechbühl SA, Lausanne

ENGINEERING
Thomas Jundt, Carouge

Vortex Student Housing
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

Located on the periphery of the University of Lausanne, the Vortex will house nearly 1,000 students and academic guests by the end of this summer.

This iconic building was financed by the Caisse de pensions de l’Etat de Vaud and built by Losinger Marazzi, with IttenBrechbühl as an architectural director.

The Vortex already welcomed the 1,800 athletes taking part in the Youth Olympic Games at Lausanne from 9 to 22 January 2020.

Vortex Student Housing
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
Vortex Student Housing
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
Vortex Student Housing
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

«As soon as the client confirmed the contract placement, planning went into top gear and coordination was highly focused. We had 900 days to build 900 rooms.

» (Guillaume Schobinger, project manager at IttenBrechbühl). Hosting the Youth Olympic Games gave a tremendous boost to the construction of this student accommodation facility.

Vortex Student Housing
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
Vortex Student Housing
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The Vortex was a key selling point in the City of Lausanne’s bid to host the Games. Once the Olympic athletes had taken up residence in the Vortex last January, they were all gathered together on one single site for the first time in the history of the Games.

The building’s unusual layout encouraged the various national teams to mingle with one another as athletes took advantage of the 2.8-kilometer spiral walkway to train on-site.

In March, in response to the crisis linked to COVID-19, the Vortex complex was quickly made available by the Caisse de Pensions de l'Etat de Vaud to house medical personnel.

The system put in place was piloted by the Cantonal Management Staff (EMCC) and the Vaud Civil Protection (PCI) with the help and valuable experience of Youth Olympic Games, Retraites Populaires, and UNIL staff.

Vortex Student Housing
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
Vortex Student Housing
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

This early summer sees the start of fit-out work on the ground floor and common areas to equip the building for its ultimate purpose; it will welcome the first students at the beginning of the academic year.

The State of Vaud launched this project for a new building on the periphery of the University of Lausanne in response to the ever-increasing demand for university student accommodation on its territory.

Vortex Student Housing
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
Vortex Student Housing
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

«This circular building occupies a position at the center of the site. With its sleek lines, it can be perceived not only as an integral element of the overall environment but also as one building among several that will constitute the future University complex.

This avoids the siloed ambiance of some modern neighborhoods where public spaces tend to be reduced to the minimum.This avoids the siloed ambiance of some modern neighborhoods where public spaces tend to be reduced to the minimum.

And thanks to the new building’s impressive dimensions, it can be interpreted both as an addition to the University campus and as an element of the landscape in its own right.

Vortex Student Housing
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
Vortex Student Housing
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The Vortex merges seamlessly into the environs of Chavannes-près-Renens and, more broadly, into the entire western sector of Lausanne.» (Jean-Pierre Dürig, the project designer)The Vortex combines many elements of the urban fabric in one single structure.

With its circular design, the building functions as a landmark in the surrounding country towards which everything converges.

With its accommodation units arrayed along a spiral ramp, it provides a setting where people can meet and interact.

Its dimensions make it a dominant feature of the whole region, establishing a link between the city and its universities.

Vortex Student Housing
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG


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Vortex Student Housing
North south section