Chavalon: A Futur Taking Root

Jaoro Ambrozinho

In Switzerland, industrial wastelands represent a significant portion of the buildable territory, yet they are often overlooked, leading to the reclassification of agricultural land into building zones. This choice contributes to soil artificialisation, even though these forgotten sites offer major spatial, historical, and ecological potential. As I have attempted to demonstrate in my theoretical statement, the redevelopment of industrial wastelands is a viable strategy toward a more sustainable energy transition. In this project, I propose to rehabilitate the industrial wasteland of Chavalon, a former thermoelectric power plant perched on the heights of Lower Valais, into a place of transition between an energy-driven past and a sustainable future. Following an analysis of the site, a partial dismantling of the structures will be considered, in order to preserve certain emblematic volumes and free up new surfaces. It is within this hybrid framework that a program dedicated to plant research will take shape: an experimental greenhouse will occupy the former industrial grid and become a platform for study, cultivation, and transmission. The project also introduces a public dimension: a restaurant, with a menu based on fruits and vegetables grown on-site, invites visitors to enjoy a sensory experience, between nature, architecture, and memory. More than a reconversion, Chavalon becomes a place of balance: between wasteland and fertility, between heritage and future.

Files
Énoncé (PDF), Planche (PDF)
LINKS
Team
Teachers:
Elena Cogato Lanza, Anja Fröhlich, Clemens Waldhart
Supervision team:
Fröhlich, Anja (dir. pédagogique) ; Cogato Lanza, Elena (prof.) ; Waldhart, Clemens (mentor·e) ; Patteeuw, Véronique (expert·e)
Professor in charge of the statement:
Cogato Lanza, Elena (ENAC IA LAB-U)
Unit:
ENAC-SAR, EAST
Infos
Year:
2025
Period:
Fall
Category:
Master Project
Copyright:
CC BY Licence
Theoretical statement

Valorisation des friches industrielles: une stratégie pour la transition énergétique durable

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