Critiques finales de l'atelier RELIEFS URBAINS
Les critiques finales de l’atelier du Prof. Emmanuel Rey ont eu lieu fin mai à l’Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne. Ce fut l’occasion de découvrir le travail intense, original et fructueux de plus d’une trentaine d’étudiantes et étudiants ayant travaillé sur la conception d’un nouveau quartier sur le coteau de la ville de Saint-Gall. Les experts invités à cette occasion étaient Sibylle Kössler, architecte à Lausanne, et Didier Collin, architecte à Genève.
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@tim.beuret.photo
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https://actu.epfl.ch/news/critiques-finales-de-l-atelier-reliefs-urbains-4/
Critiques finales de l’atelier RELIEFS URBAINS
Cette semaine ont lieu les critiques finales de l’atelier du Prof. Emmanuel Rey où trente étudiantes et étudiants présentent leur réponse unique à la conception d’un nouveau quartier dans les hauteurs de St-Gallen. Les critiques sont particulièrement marquées par la présentation du travail à travers plusieurs échelles allant du projet urbain jusqu’au détail constructif, soulignant leur engagement envers des solutions innovantes et durables avec une compréhension intégrée des interactions entre différentes échelles urbaines et architecturales.
@last_epfl @epflenac @epflarchitecture
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Montage End of Year Show 2026
Cette semaine se déroulent les jurys et expositions de fin d’année de la Section d’Architecture de l’EPFL. Les jurys de l'atelier du Prof. Emmanuel Rey au Laboratoire d'architecture et technologies durables (LAST) auront lieu du mercredi 27 au jeudi 28, et l’exposition restera ouverte jusqu’au vendredi 29 mai.
@last_epfl @epflenac @epflarchitecture
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⚠️ Étudiants de première année en architecture EPFL • automne ’26 ⏳👀
Expérience de géométrie appliquée sur un petit monstre 🧩👾
avec Marie-Pierre Zufferey, CRCL
De la géométrie numérique à l’objet physique 👩🏻💻🖨️
Monstre-puzzle imprimé en 3D pour explorer la symétrie, la rotation, l’assemblage et le passage entre mondes virtuel et matériel 🌀
Avec une structure interne allégée 𐄳
tout en conservant la rigidité 📐
.
🌐 First-year Architecture students EPFL • Fall ’26 ⏳👀
A geometric experiment on a small monster 🧩👾
with Marie-Pierre Zufferey, CRCL
From digital geometry to physical object 👩🏻💻🖨️
3D-printed puzzle-monster for symmetry, rotation, assembly and transition between virtual and material worlds 🌀
Lightweight internal grid structure 𐄳
while maintaining rigidity 📐
🏟️Not a stadium! A Student Residence.
Would you like to live here as well? (Me too)
What looks futuristic is actually designed around something simple:
movement, community, and density done well.
it’s one of those projects that completely changes how you think student housing can feel.
Still one of the wildest places I’ve been to as a student.
Save this for architecture inspiration 📍
Follow for more architecture + urban design stories.
URBAN MENDING — EPFL Visiting Studio
Visiting design studio at EPFL titled “Urban Mending”, exploring approaches of careful repair within fragmented urban territories through punctual interventions in public spaces. The studio encourages precise, context-based and interconnected actions, focusing on small-scale strategies of repair, reactivation and adaptation. Through targeted interventions, students developed projects aimed at re-establishing connections between places and the communities inhabiting them, working this semester on the case study of the so-called “Città Ticino”.
Spring semester 2026.
The pictures show the semester reader developed for students: conceived as a manual for urban mending, composed of a series of white and pink A4 sheets wrapped in an A2 map of the site.
Graphic design by Alice Monguzzi @alicemonguzz.i ✨
Semester lead: Tiziano Schürch
Assistant: Blerta Axhija @blerta_axhija
Studio of Visiting Professors Rolli & Schürch
Across models, drawings, research, and debate, the brings together the diverse investigations of ’s studios. Rooted in a project-based approach that connects design with technical, social, and critical questions, the exhibition reflects on how architecture engages contemporary forms of living, building, and collective space. From 26.–29.5.26, the End of Year Show invites visitors to discover four days of architectural work in dialogue with places, practices, and collective futures.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Opening Apero
Tu 26. May 2026, 18:30
Ada Lovelace Square
First year
@alice_epfl
Second year
@assemble_studio_epfl @studio.gaymenzel @last_epfl @jotaillieuarchitecten @uncertainconditions
Third / Fourth year
@adherstudio @domestic.city.lab @doscre_office @east.laboratory @fala.atelier @ibois_epfl @lab_u_epfl @mxd_epfl @riot_epfl @studio_tiziano_schuerch @ofreia_architecture @architecte.salimanaji @scheideggerkeller @texas.studio.epfl
Graphic Design
@romankarrer @timetravel3000
@epflarchitecture @epflenac @epflstudents @epflcampus @archizoomepfl
We are pleased to welcome Professor to . Previously Professor at Northeastern University in Boston, she has been appointed Full Professor of in the Institute of Architecture and the City, part of the . At EPFL, she will lead the laboratory (Critical Histories of Architecture and Art).
She is an internationally recognized historian of art and architecture whose work has reshaped the understanding of the Italian Renaissance. Her research explores architectural history, the role of drawing in design processes, and exchanges between Europe and the Islamic world. Combining art history, architectural theory, and the history of science, her interdisciplinary approach offers new perspectives on architectural production and cultural context.
Her studies on Michelangelo and Giuliano da Sangallo have provided key insights into the relationship between drawing, invention, and architectural practice, as well as on how architects engaged with Antiquity and historical memory. She is the author of “Michelangelo, Drawing and the Invention of Architecture” (2008) and “Giuliano da Sangallo and the Ruins of Rome” (2022), and co-author of “Variety, Archeology and Ornament” (2011).
At EPFL, her teaching will focus on rethinking history courses through a comparative and global approach. Her research will continue to examine drawing as a central medium in architectural conception, alongside new work on Mediterranean exchanges and the transformation of Islamic architectural heritage in Spain.
@cammyrbrothers
@epflarchitecture
Images
1 Portait by Nile Scott Hawver
2-4 “Cammy Brothers, Giuliano da Sangallo and the Ruins of Rome” (Princeton University Press, 2022)
5-6 “Cammy Brothers, Michelangelo, Drawing and the Invention of Architecture” (Yale University Press, 2008)
7-8 “Variety, Archeology and Ornament: Renaissance Architectural Prints from Column to Cornice” (UVA Art Museum, 2011)
@epflenac campus
Congratulations to Prof. on receiving the for Urban Planning and Design, awarded by the (UIA). Named after Sir Patrick Abercrombie, a key figure in modern urban planning, this distinction is among the most prestigious international awards in the field.
The award highlights the outstanding contribution Prof. Viganò has made to our School through her teaching, research, and leadership. As professor at EPFL, where she leads the Habitat Research Center (HRC) and the Laboratory of Urbanism (LAB-U), she plays a central role in shaping academic development in the field of urban planning. Her work has significantly enriched our academic environment, bringing together research and design practice, and fostering a deep engagement with contemporary territorial and ecological questions in urbanism.
We warmly thank her for her continued commitment and for the impact of her work within our community and beyond.
Images
1 Antwerp director scheme, 03-06, Studio Secchi-Viganò
2 Portrait, Ph: Alain Herzog
3 The square of the theater, Antwerp: spazio s-misurato, 05-10, Studio Secchi-Viganò, Ph: Teresa Cos
4 Soil and Labour: a vision for the Grand Genève, 2018-2021, Habitat Research Center, EPFL with the students of the Design Studios BA 5-6, MA 1-2, SAR-IA (in the frame of the Prospective visions for Great Geneva - The Eco-Century Prohect®, Fondation Braillard Architectes, Geneva)
5 Redevelopment of Marie Janson Square, 019-023, Studio PaolaViganò, Ph: Michiel Decleene
6-7 Quatre scénarios d’évolution du bassin versant, Multidisciplinary strategic scheme for Vesdre watershed, 022-024, Studio PaolaViganò and ULiège TEAM-Vesdre
8 ZAC de la Courrouze, Rennes and Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande. Living in the city, inhabiting a park, 03-014, Studio Secchi-Viganò, 015-026 (ongoing), Studio PaolaViganò, Ph: Fabrizio Stipari
@epflcampus @epflenac @habitat_epfl @lab_u_epfl @studiopaolavigano @uia_architects @uia2026bcn
We are pleased to present , new Professor at . Previously Postdoctoral Researcher at TU Delft, she has been appointed Tenure Track Assistant Professor in the Institute of Architecture and the City, part of the . She will lead the (Materials in Transition Laboratory) at the in Fribourg.
Her work spans materials science, architecture, and civil engineering, focusing on sustainable material flows and reuse. She developed a glass connection technology leading to patents, influencing glass recycling strategies. At TU Delft, she led research and teaching in the Structures + Materials group. She holds an MEng (Manchester) and PhD (Cambridge) on material efficiency in architectural glass and façade design. She developed a cross-faculty Master’s course on Future Materials and secured collaborations to develop digital tools for assessing reuse potential of building elements.
At EPFL, her research and teaching promote an environmentally responsible built environment by understanding materials across scales, from micro composition to end-of-life cycles. The MATR Lab will develop digital assessment tools, test protocols for reclaimed products, and explore carbon-sequestered materials for climate-resilient architecture.
Full article
actu.epfl.ch/search/architecture
@epflarchitecture @smartlivinglab
Images
1 Photo by Marcel Bilow
2 Stacked glass leaves with ReSolved connection technology, GlassTec, Dusseldorf 2024, photo by Andreas Weise
3-4 Reclamation potential in the Built Environment: A method and metric for assessing environmental benefits beyond, first use in Buildings and Environment (Research Article: Hartwell, R.; Overend, M. 2024)
5-6 Laminated glass separation to enable flat glass reuse (PhD thesis, Hartwell, R.)
7 Live Disassembly Workshop, Future Materials, TU Delft
8 Student Project Work, Future Materials, TU Delft
campus @epflenac @epflcampus
SCHOOL LECTURE 7/7
Tuesday, May 12, Foyer SG, 6:30 pm
COMMUNITY VOL.2
Seven exemplary projects and case studies
JOUD BEAUDOIN, LORRAINE BEAUDOIN
Maison de quartier des Plaines du loup
Located in the Parc du loup, on the edge of a newly built neighborhood, the community center is designed according to the principle of “houses within a house”: the various programmatic units are distributed across four distinct volumes, fragmenting the building and giving it a human scale and porosity to its environment. Between them lies a fluid interstitial space that lends itself to encounters and exchanges, thanks to a double-height space that connects the two levels. This spatial constellation offers a wide variety of possible uses, while the construction uses organic and geo-sourced materials, allowing the new building to become part of its surroundings and creating interiors with unique atmospheres.
Lorraine Beaudoin has been running the Joud Beaudoin Architects office in Lausanne with Christophe Joud since 2014. Study partners since the beginning of their architectural training at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Lyon (Ensal) and then at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) for their master's degree and joint diploma in 2009, they contributed between 2010 and 2020 to various research projects and theoretical writings on collective housing at the Laboratory of Theory and History of Architecture (LTH2, EPFL), under the direction of Bruno Marchand. Their projects and achievements are mainly the result of public competitions.
Recordings available on YouTube
@epflarchitectureschool
Credits
Project image by Joud Beaudoin Architectes
Portrait image by Karsten Foedinger
School Lecture Series
@epflarchitecture
@joud_beaudoin @lorrainebeaudoin
Graphic design
@romankarrer @timetravel3000
@epflenac @epflcampus @epflstudents @archizoom
Séminaire enveloppe de l’atelier RELIEFS URBAINS
Cette semaine, le séminaire dédié à l’enveloppe du bâtiment se déroule à l'atelier du Prof. Emmanuel Rey au Laboratoire d'architecture et technologies durables (LAST). Les étudiantes et étudiants conçoivent des bâtiments – jusqu’au détail constructif – dont l’architecture façonne des cadres de vie en résonance avec leur environnement et tisse des liens subtils entre formes bâties, usages et seuils entre espaces publics et privés.
@last_epfl @epflenac @epflarchitecture
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review
📌 https://www.epfl.ch/labs/last/fr/index-fr-html/enseignement/atelier-last/reliefs-urbains-saint-gall-2024-25/
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Professor to . Currently Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, she has been appointed Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Architecture and Sustainable Construction in the Institute of Architecture and the City, part of the . At EPFL, she will lead the (South–North Lab for Sustainable Construction and Conservation) at the in Fribourg.
She is a Moroccan-American architect, civil engineer, researcher, and educator, specializing in sustainable architecture in the Global South and resource-constrained environments. At the University of Toronto, she taught and led multi-year applied research projects focusing on collaborative ecotourism masterplans and architectural design in arid regions in Jordan, Australia and Morocco, working with local communities, authorities, NGOs, and international partners.
Through her practice, she develops adaptive reuse, material innovation, and socially engaged design across Africa and the Middle East, focusing on low-cost, climate-responsive construction and heritage rehabilitation. Her work has been exhibited internationally. She is the author of “Modern Heritage Under Pressure: Perspectives from the Global South“ (2023).
SONO Lab will explore low-carbon construction systems, bio- and geo-sourced materials, and climate-adaptive design, fostering South–North knowledge exchange. Teaching will focus on climate adaptation, sustainable construction, and adaptive reuse of heritage in Africa, integrating real-world case studies.
Full article
actu.epfl.ch/search/architecture
@epflarchitecture
@smartlivinglab
@sono.epfl
Images
1 Portrait in Sidi Harazem by Andreea Muscurel
2 Sidi Harazem Masterplan: Phased plan for the adaptive reuse, photo: Andreea Muscurel
3-4 Sidi Harazem Thermal Bath Complex buildings, by Jean-Francois Zevaco, 1960’s, photo: Andreea Muscurel
5 “Modern Heritage Under Pressure: Perspectives from the Global South”, edited by Aziza Chaouni with Dana Salama
6 Haouz House, Anti-seismic earth brick house, Morocco, photo: Aziza Chouani
7-8 CICES project, Senegal, photo: Aziza Chouani
L’atelier du Prof. Emmanuel Rey du Laboratoire d’architecture et technologies durables (LAST)a effectué une excursion architecturale pour visiter le bâtiment Creative Factory situé à Renens. Cet enseignement extra-muros a permis aux étudiantes et étudiants de découvrir ce projet de reconversion d’un ancien centre logistique en bâtiment multifonctionnel, avec une attention particulière portée aux typologies de logements. Cette visite entre en résonance avec les enjeux abordés dans le cadre de l’atelier de projet Reliefs urbains.
@last_epfl
@epflenac @epflarchitecture @bauart
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https://actu.epfl.ch/news/excursion-architecturale-a-creative-factory/
SCHOOL LECTURE 6/7
Tuesday, April 28, Foyer SG, 6:30 pm
COMMUNITY VOL.2
Seven exemplary projects and case studies
MAIO, ANNA PUIGJANER
Opera Aperta
Opera Aperta, this lecture by Barcelona-based architect, researcher, and MAIO co-founder Anna Puigjaner presents recent work on alternative and inclusive domestic architectures. Challenging assumed architectural “normality,” the talk argues that the discipline has produced unequal spatial regimes tied to heteronormative models of living. In response to ecological and social precarity, Opera Aperta frames architecture as a living practice of repair, care, and stewardship—extending beyond buildings to communities and ecosystems.
Anna Puigjaner (she/her) is a PhD architect and researcher, co-founder of MAIO, an architectural office based in Barcelona. Her work, linked to feminist studies, is focused on inclusive domestic architectures able to redefine former biased structures. She is currently Professor of Architecture and Care at ETH Zürich. Previously, she taught at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation GSAPP at Columbia University, at the Royal College of Arts, London, and at the Barcelona School of Architecture ETSAB/ETSAV - UPC. Anna has presented her work widely, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Venice Biennale, and the New York Museum of Modern Art. Her research project Kitchenless City was awarded the Wheelwright Price (2016) by the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Recordings available on YouTube
@epflarchitectureschool
Credits
Project image by Jose Hevia
Portrait image by Adrià Cañameras
School Lecture Series
@epflarchitecture
@maioarchitects @annapuigjaner
Graphic design
@romankarrer @timetravel3000
@epflenac @epflcampus @epflstudents @archizoom
Applications are now open for the Capitalizing on Uncertainty 2026 Summer School (31 Aug - 5 Sept) at EPFL Architecture.
Organized by the Lab for Creative Computation (CRCL, EPFL), the Laboratory for Timber Constructions (IBOIS, EPFL), and the Chair of Work and Organizational Psychology (WOP, ETHZ), this program invites PhD students (ETHZ/EPFL/International) to explore how uncertainty can become a productive resource in design and fabrication through a hands-on construction robotics challenge.
The program combines lectures in architecture, robotics, and work psychology with the full-scale construction of a timber structure from irregular timber stock, using an ABB industrial robot in a human-robot fabrication workflow. No previous experience in construction robotics is required, only curiosity.
The organising committee consists of Eleni Skevaki (CRCL, EPFL), Sihui Wu (WOP, ETH Zurich), and Damien Gilliard (IBOIS, EPFL). The program is supported by Prof. Dr. Stefana Parascho (CRCL, EPFL) and Prof. Dr. Gudela Grote (WOP, ETH Zurich).
31 August – 5 September 2026, EPFL, Lausanne
Contact: cap-uncertainty@epfl.ch
Website: cap-uncertainty.epfl.ch
Image credits: CRCL, EPFL
@crcl_epfl @ibois_epfl @epflarchitecture @epflenac
SCHOOL LECTURE 5/7
Tuesday, April 14, Foyer SG, 6:30 pm
COMMUNITY VOL.2
Seven exemplary projects and case studies
TRUWANT+RODET+
Increasing the Leak
Water has always shaped territories and cities, both visibly and invisibly. In mythology and storytelling, rivers and fountains bring life, healing, and uncontrollable power. Since modernism, we have pursued watertight environments, sealing interiors while buried streams and pipes persist beneath our streets and walls. When a leak appears, this fiction collapses. Forgotten infrastructures surface, and suppressed ecologies emerge—moss, humidity, micro-habitats. Leaks become reminders of water’s formative power, suggesting possible futures for architecture and urban space.
Truwant + Rodet + is a Basel-based architecture practice founded in 2017. The diverse background of its partners informs a curious and interdisciplinary practice connecting architecture with landscape, furniture design, research and teaching. Their work focuses on the transformation of existing structures and on the relationship between building, context and landscape, understanding architecture as part of a broader territorial framework.
Credits
Image 1: Truwant + Rodet + Melissa Freudiger, Increasing the Leak, Geneva, 2023
Image 3: Truwant + Rodet + Fabian Marti, Fountain of Youth, Lausanne 2018-2026
Image 5: Royal Academy of Arts, London, Anja Furrer
Recordings available on YouTube
@epflarchitectureschool
School Lecture Series
@epflarchitecture
@truwantrodet @uncertainconditions
Graphic design
@romankarrer @timetravel3000
@epflenac @epflcampus @epflstudents @archizoom
Academic pearls directly from the authors, very esteemed colleagues and friends. Long-live self-publishing!
Luca Ortelli, Capucine Legrand, Valentin Bourdon, Impressions d’Architecture - Les Cahiers du Laboratoire de Construction et Conservation, EPFL (self-published) @luca.ortelli @capulgd @levantin.bourdon @epflarchitecture
architecture theory
Academic pearls directly from the authors, very esteemed colleagues and friends. Long-live self-publishing!
Luca Ortelli, Capucine Legrand, Valentin Bourdon, Impressions d’Architecture - Les Cahiers du Laboratoire de Construction et Conservation, EPFL (self-published) @luca.ortelli @capulgd @levantin.bourdon @epflarchitecture
architecture theory
Voyage d’étude au Tessin
L’atelier du Prof. Emmanuel Rey du Laboratoire d’architecture et technologies durables (LAST) a effectué cette année son voyage d’étude dans le Canton du Tessin. Cet enseignement extra-muros a permis aux étudiantes et étudiants de visiter des réalisations architecturales de diverses époques, qui mettent en valeur les opportunités spatiales et constructives de l’urbanité dans la pente. Ces différents thèmes entrent directement en résonance avec les enjeux abordés dans le cadre de l’atelier de projet RELIEFS URBAINS.
@last_epfl @epflarchitecture @epflenac @guidottiarchitetti @andreafrapolli
_epfl
💡https://actu.epfl.ch/news/voyage-d-etude-au-tessin/
SCHOOL LECTURE 4/7
Tuesday, March 31, Foyer SG, 6:30 pm
COMMUNITY VOL.2
Seven exemplary projects and case studies
JOSEP MARIA BORRELL
Creating Communities and Changing Mindsets
IMPSOL promotes a high-quality public housing model in the metropolitan area of Barcelona contributing to transform cities and improve lives. With financial independence, we manage the full housing cycle — from land planning to maintenance-treating housing as permanent social infrastructure. Through democratised architectural competitions that ensure transparency, participation, and respect for architects, IMPSOL practices proactive leadership, stakeholder collaboration, and a strong commitment to decarbonisation and social innovation. Our housing model integrates architectural excellence with resident support, fostering identity, sustainable habits, and responsible living, while spreading values for a fairer and balanced society.
Josep M. Borrell Bru is an architect (ETSAB / Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 2001) with a postgraduate degree in Innovative Real Estate Development and Management by Escola Sert / UPC. His final degree project received highest honours and was awarded the Dragados Foundation Prize in 2002. Since the beginning of his professional career, he has combined public and private sector practice, holding various technical leadership positions at IMPSOL while also working in his architectural studio with Maria González, primarily focused on the rehabilitation and construction of housing and public facilities. He is currently General Manager of IMPSOL, the public housing agency of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), responsible for land management and development of public housing, both through new construction and rehabilitation processes.
Recordings available on YouTube
@epflarchitectureschool
Credits
Project image (1) by IMPSOL (3) by Adrià Goula
Portrait image by IMPSOL
School Lecture Series
@epflarchitecture
@impsol_amb
Graphic design
@romankarrer @timetravel3000
@epflenac @epflcampus @epflstudents @archizoom
Critique intermédiaire de l’atelier RELIEFS URBAINS
Cette semaine, les critiques intermédiaires se déroulent dans l'atelier du Prof. Emmanuel Rey au Laboratoire d'architecture et technologies durables (LAST). Les étudiantes et étudiants façonnent des cadres de vie en résonance avec leur environnement, en tissant des liens subtils entre formes bâties, usages et seuils entre espaces publics et privés.
@last_epfl @epflenac @epflarchitecture
_epfl
review
Master’s Projects - Architecture ⚠️
Interested in working with us? 👀
We’ll be sharing potential project topics on our website soon! In the meantime, take a look at previous student work 👷🤖
Featured thesis:
Digital Woodcraft: A Wood-Making Village in the Jorat — @albertojohnsson 👨💻🪵🦾
Master’s Projects - Architecture ⚠️
Interested in working with us? 👀
We’ll be sharing potential project topics on our website soon! In the meantime, take a look at previous student work 👷🤖
Featured thesis:
Digital Woodcraft: A Wood-Making Village in the Jorat — Alberto Johnsson
👨💻🪵🦾
Comment gérer l'altérité de la matière?
Marlène Leroux, associée de l’Atelier Archiplein à Genève, était l’invité de l’atelier du Prof. Emmanuel Rey du Laboratoire d’architecture et technologies durables (LAST) pour parler de son travail d’architecte à travers une sélection de projets. Intitulée « How to deal with material alterity ? », sa conférence a permis aux étudiantes et étudiants de découvrir des projets se confrontant notamment aux enjeux constructifs et de durabilité de l’utilisation de pierre massive.
@last_epfl @atelierarchiplein @epflarchitecture @epflenac
_epfl
👉 https://actu.epfl.ch/news/comment-gerer-l-alterite-de-la-matiere/