10 – 2021

Lausanne

In Lausanne things are happening. Under the buzz term “Lausanne en 2030” this canton capital aims to grow by 30'000 new inhabitants — in lockstep with the dynamic West. Lausanne train station will double its capacity by 2031, while the museum district directly beside it will be completed in 2022 with the new MUDAC building by Aires Mateus. A third metro line and the tram to Renens will make the new train station forecourt into a multimodal hub — but here the dilemma of climatefriendly development becomes apparent: the station concourse extends underneath the public square, but politicians are calling for trees to be planted there that will offer shade in the hot summers of the future and, as an allegory, will give a visible face to the city’s ambitious Climate Plan.

Lausanne is topography: high bridges like the Pont Bessières with the metro line M2 that runs below it evoke the dynamism of a big city, but architects criticise that the current building regulations prevent the creation of truly urban city spaces and instead privilege the much-coveted view of the lake and the Alps. Lausanne is sport: the (new) headquarters of the IOC are here but we focus attention on the new Stade de la Tuilière, a flagship erected by Lausanne-Sport football club, which, it is hoped, will bring sporting success with it. Moving the sports areas to the south of the stadium is what made the écoquartier Plaines-du- Loup possible in the first place; it is now taking shape and will provide space for working and living for 11'000 people on the plateau.

Lausanne is international: with the EPFL and the university, with global firms and organisations. But Lausanne is also shaped by local interests: the red-green government of the city of Lausanne cultivates a strong participation culture: “no urban planning without the participation of the population, without a value-added levy, or without additional value for public space” is the motto. The aim is to find a balance between preserving existing buildings, erecting affordable housing, and maintaining open spaces and green areas, despite the call for increased density. We want to find out how Lausanne brings all these various levels and ambitions down to earth.