3XN/GXN and IB Selected to Design a New Ecotope for the EPFL Campus in Switzerland

Written by Dima Stouhi
Published on July 01, 2022

The EPFL Innovation Park (EIP) has selected 3XN | GXN and IB (Itten+Brechbühl SA) to design and build a new "ecotope", expanding the university's Science Park and Innovation Square to a new site, west of the main EPFL campus in Ecublens, Switzerland. The Ecotope is set to be a vibrant and innovative marketplace for ideas, serving as an "ecosystem in which policymakers, researchers, investors, executives, students, and citizens can come together for open dialogue or debate.” The concept of the project not only brings together leaders in business, science, and technology, but also puts a high priority on access to green spaces and biophilic principles.

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Since 1991, EPFL, one of the world’s leading public research institutions, has housed space dedicated for innovation: the EPFL Innovation Park (EIP). The demand for strategic research partnerships have increased, bringing with it an opportunity to rethink what innovation looks like at the school. The Innovation Ecotope comes as a solution to businesses interested in innovation, whether it being startups or established companies, who need a place to meet daily. The proposed design is part of the strategic 250,000 sqm masterplan, aimed at creating a social, sustainable, and active site for the technology industry found at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.

3XN/GXN and IB Selected to Design a New Ecotope for the EPFL Campus in Switzerland - Image 8 of 9 — © 3XN

Setting a high priority on access to green spaces and biophilic principles, a green pedestrian route linking Ecotope to the EIP and other zones of the EPFL campus will bring nature into the heart of the site, and extend it outwards toward the main pedestrian axis. The design of the masterplan and its main building are developed around six key principles: biophilia, serendipity, modularity, sustainability, strong identity, and comfort; all linked to ensure flexibility and adaptibility to the changing needs of the future.

Our design takes on the challenge posed by the EPFL Innovation Park to create a place that will have a positive impact on society for years to come. Ecotope will be a campus that facilitates and generates disruptive innovative solutions by being the interface between EPFL and society at large. -- Jan Ammundsen, 3XN Senior Partner-in-Charge

The main building is located on the site’s southeastern corner, serving as a gateway and social hub for the Ecotope campus. Labs and offices will be situated across the building’s perimeter, punctuated by twin atria which will also become hubs for innovation and collaboration.

3XN and IB's joint proposal was selected out of four invited proposals. Both firms have recently been selected to design Tour Tilia, a mixed-use timber tower that will be built on the outskirts of Lausanne. The two offices also worked together to complete the IOC Headquarters in Lausanne, inaugurated in the summer of 2019. The first phase of construction is set to begin in 2023. A clean transportation system will also be developed to link Ecotope to the main EPFL campus.