E P F L

The project designed for the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) was carried out by the Zurich-based architectural firm Zweifel + Strickler + Associates in the late 1960s. The master plan for this new university was a response to the demographic increase in the student population at the time. The chosen location was outside Lausanne, requiring the design of a self-sufficient university that could essentially offer the functions of an entire city. The architects employed a large-scale structure to accommodate a high number of students, along with a hierarchy of circulation paths that separated pedestrians from vehicles. The construction was further facilitated by the use of standardized materials and prefabricated elements of regular dimensions.

These principles were not unique to EPFL. They can be found in other earlier university projects, where the general morphology and finishes also reflected a concern for construction efficiency. Several universities built in the 1960s, which were widely published, likely served as references for the ZSA firm: the Freie Universität in Berlin, the Ruhr-Universität in Bochum, and the Philipps-Universität in Marburg.

The post-war period was marked by the increased circulation of architectural and academic theories. This phenomenon was notably fostered by the proliferation of specialized publications that spread European and North American debates in the field of architecture on an international scale. Similarly, the recurrent participation of certain architects in competitions for the construction of new universities, both in their home countries and abroad, helped to publicize some of the notable projects of this period.

The first buildings of EPFL are primarily characterized by a structural logic applied on a large scale. A modular system, defined according to a planning grid of 86.4 x 86.4 meters, allowed for the optimal distribution of the buildings. The advantages of this system lay in its flexibility and the possibilities for expansion it provided.

The implementation of a large-scale modular structure, with an industrial and mechanized expression, was one of the characteristics of two major universities built in Germany after the war: the Freie Universität in Berlin and the Ruhr-Universität in Bochum. In both cases, the respective architects used constructive elements that formed a large shelter.

The architects of EPFL were committed to designing a school that promoted interaction among the different types of building users—students, professors, or technical and administrative staff. This intention is particularly reflected in the design of spaces organized around low, sprawling buildings forming a "carpet." These construction principles were already evident at the Freie Universität. The architects there developed the concept of the "groundscraper," a horizontal response to the vertical hierarchy of the skyscraper.

Both schools were conceived as miniature cities: rooms and offices are distributed in a decentralized manner around streets and inner courtyards. Similarly, pedestrian and vehicular circulations follow the idea of a university-city. This principle, implemented at EPFL, is also found at the Ruhr-Universität. In the latter case, circulation modes are differentiated according to several levels and are connected by a network of walkways.

Like the principles guiding morphological choices, the selection and use of materials had to be quick and efficient. Thus, the use of reinforced concrete and prefabricated elements, assembled directly on-site, were key aspects of the project. This constructive logic also governed the expansion of the University of Marburg and was essential during the construction of the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. In both cases, the architects used exposed concrete on the facades. At EPFL, this same logic of prefabrication is found. For example, the metal boxes constructed in workshops and used on the facades are very similar to those employed at the Freie Universität, as are the prefabricated concrete panels used for exterior cladding.

Finally, the Zweifel project resonates with other academic architectural projects of the period, down to its details. Indeed, the metal facade boxes were designed to avoid producing any abrupt angles. This concept, often referred to as "softline," was developed, among others, in the Freie Universität project. The use of colors in buildings, which was very fashionable in the architecture of the time, was also exploited at Ecublens. Red, orange, and brown tones were used to indicate the positions of the different departments and to guide students and visitors within the university. The same method had been applied at the University of Berlin, on the window blinds facing the courtyards and internal streets.

The design of the first buildings of EPFL owes much to the academic architectural works created after the war, without being a mere copy of some of their most famous models. Among the notable elements of the Zweifel project was the possibility of extending the buildings from the first phase during subsequent phases of construction. However, during the second and third phases of the school's construction, the originally planned system was abandoned. The new architects established their own rules in terms of composition, structure, circulation, and materials. To expand, EPFL chose not to exploit the flexibility of the installations designed by the ZSA firm. Thus, paradoxically, it was outside the walls of EPFL that the buildings from the first phase were eventually regarded as references in academic architecture, such as in Bern, during the construction of the university in 1974.

Marta De Benito Ortiz, Maryem Sadek (EPFL, architecture)