| City, Country | Lausanne, Switzerland | |
| Year | 2005–2010 | |
| Client | Eidg. Finanzverwaltung EFW | |
| Architect | SANAA Kazuyo Sejima & Ryue Nishizawa | |
| Services | Structural Engineering | |
| Facts | GFA: 88,000 m² | NFA: 37,000 m² | Gross volume: 131,000 m³ | Certificate: Minergie | In collaboration with: Walther Mory Maier AG, Basel | Consultant engineer: SAPS Sasaki and Partner, Tokyo | |
| Awards | Prix Acier 2011, Recognition | |
The design of the new Learning Centre of the EPFL has an essential impact on the appearance of the campus. Smooth white waves with countless flowing volume variations create a special ambience with spacious areas for the public and intimate working zones. With a central library, lecture halls, study facilities and services, exhibition halls, conference halls, cafeteria and a restaurant the building is the centre of campus life.
The load-bearing shell consists of a perforated smaller and a larger-sized free-span reinforced concrete shell, spanning up to 90 metres. The edges of the shell are fully fixed to the pre-tensioned concrete ceiling slab of the lower level. The steel-grid structure of the roof consists of crossing continuous beams and aligned secondary girders. It bears on slender columns fully fixed to the shell.
