Malley
Malley is a former industrial area located west of Lausanne, on the boundary between Prilly and Renens. Until recently, it was characterized by extensive industrial and railway wastelands housing numerous cultural and community initiatives. Today, the area is undergoing an ambitious urban development and will soon accommodate over 800 new housing units. Over four phases, students developed a project on this site, progressing from the conception of foundations to an exploration of the potential project.
I. To reduce train noise, a 120-meter-long temporary barrier was installed along the site’s southwest edge. Steel I-beams anchored in concrete support wooden joists. This system becomes the project’s foundation and defines a precise perimeter.
II. As the pillars multiply along this boundary, a new structure emerges like a new species. The connection between wooden and metal pillars creates a fertile environment where future constructions can take root.
III. A shared typology emerges from the inherited volumes. Vertical circulation elements rhythmically define the perimeter, merging pathways with foundations.
IV. The defined perimeter integrates into the existing Malley waste facility, transformed into a recycling center. This system illustrates cycles of extraction, transformation, and reuse, encouraging the pavilions to be perceived not as isolated objects but as connectors between the site’s industrial growth and threatened socio-cultural infrastructures. Elevating the pavilions and freeing the ground level creates a multi-layered structure connected by walkways where public, semi-public, and private spaces interact.