Project Room Competition

We are delighted to announce the Results of the Project Room Competition! 

Archizoom launched in March 2021 an ideas competition for architecture students and Faculty members to design a system of props capable of activating the Project Room – a polyvalent space located in the SG building. In the past, events such as exhibitions, lectures, workshops and studio reviews related to both EPFL Architecture and the EPFL at large were hosted in the space. 

To formulate a new identity for the space, the community was asked to consider its multi-purpose character in responding to a variety of programmatic needs ranging from the formal – e.g. exhibitions, lectures, conferences, and reviews – to the informal – e.g. working, reading, meetings, and discussions. Students, assistants and PhD candidates from the ENAC Faculty were eligible to enter the competition. 

Eighteen projects were submitted, which explored and expanded the potentials of the Project Room. A jury consisting of Laurent Chassot of Studio 17, Alexandre Willaume of Studio Bouroullec and Archizoom members Cyril Veillon, Clémence Dubuis, Elena Chiavi and Teresa Cheung selected two runner ups and two joint winners, whose proposals will be further developed this summer in collaboration with Laurent Chassot and Archizoom. 

The 18 submissions are displayed in front of Archizoom’s exhibition space from the 8 till 30 June.

Winners 

The jury decided to reward two winners.

Curtains Room 

Chiara Lombardi-Dellamonica, Francesca Igowa, Mélanie Schroff, Antoine Foehrenbacher

Out of other curtain proposals, we believed this project offered a system that could easily enable a variety of uses, proposing soft partitions for various activities. The research on different types of materials and finishing was appreciated. We believe it can be well developed further to enrich the space of the Project Room. We are happy to award this project for it giving a fresh touch and a new identity to an empty room that the community crosses on a daily basis. 

S.O.S – Project Room 

Alice Fiorini, Luciano Antonietti

The flashy blue mobile set of steps within the Project Room impressed the jury right away. The simplicity of the proposal was well appreciated and we all believed in its further development to enrich its uses and capacities. This new window to the world will surely collapse the rigidity of the actual room by offering varied possible inhabitions within its steps. We believe that this object will allow the community to use the space quickly and easily, while also offering specific uses within its construction.

Runner Ups

The jury decided to reward two runner ups.

Escamotages 

Claire Logoz, Bastian Marzoli

The jury members were very charmed by this beautiful proposal for its completeness and spatial coherence, envisioning an imaginary and quasi utopical Project Room. We wished to congratulate the team for the rich language and full development of the proposal. Yet, the project seemed too ambitious for the resources and time available to produce the proposal, and quite hard for the users to fit in their multiple needs.

Oikonomia 

Ombline Heili, Paul Wang

The jury felt very positive about this intriguing proposal for offering us a process of maintenance and reuse of existing resources that have been already used for so long. We believe that such approaches should be fully integrated into our ways of thinking, teaching and making today. We regret that the proposal didn’t fully give a new recognizable identity to the Project Room.

Organisation

The organisation, technical preparation and competition secretariat are provided by EPFL – ENAC – ARCHIZOOM. 

Adresse of the competition secretariat: 

EPFL – ENAC – ARCHIZOOM SG 1231 (Bâtiment SG)
Station 15 / 1015 Lausanne

[email protected]  +41 21 693 02 31
Contact person :  Cyril Veillon