Danish based architecture firm 3XN and IttenBrechbühl, one of the Swiss leading architecture firms, won an international competition to design a new tall wooden architecture in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The Tilia Tower is an ambitious and sustainable wooden architecture on the outskirts of biggest town of the canton of Vaud in Romandy. Located in Prilly-Malley, a dynamic and rapidly developing district in the western suburbs of Lausanne, the Tilia Tower will be a key player in the development of the area.
The scheme includes an 85-metre-tall tower as well as the transformation and renovation of two existing buildings for the real estate company Insula SA, part of the Realstone Group.
The project has a mixed program consisting of apartments, a hotel, co-working, co-making and various public functions such as bars, shops, restaurants, and cafés. The public functions will help to activate the area and contribute to a richer local environment at all times of the day.
In addition to the building's varied program, diversity is also a key driver in the building's design. The variation is reflected in the façade's rhythmic expression.
The apartments are structured as a series of individual elements that shift on top of each other in a rational arrangement.
The result is a complex timber architecture with an open and strong identity and an organic expression that breaks with the classic homogeneous box.
The deep window niches and terraces reach out and create a connection between the building, its users, and the outdoor space, giving the Tilia Tower, a lively yet refined expression. The depth of the niches and terraces optimises energy efficiency through shading and daylight optimisation, and creates comfortable, undisturbed recreational outdoor areas.
“We have worked with the philosophy of making a building that respects the human scale by emphasising the connection to nature and by ensuring good daylight, which we know is important for human well-being. Wood is a consistent material in the project which adds a natural, warm, and robust look. Wood is a fantastic building material, and it will add a fine tactile expression to the building. The Tilia Tower, will be a bright, friendly, humane and sustainable building” said Jan Ammundsen, architect and responsible senior partner for the Tilia Tower, at 3XN.
In addition to providing a good indoor climate to the Tilia Tower apartments and public spaces, the choice of wood also brings many other benefits to the building and to the construction process.
A new square will be established in front of the building which will create a green urban space with biodiverse plants and microorganisms.
Connected to the new high-rise is an older but well-functioning office building and badminton hall. The two existing buildings will undergo a transformation that consists of an energy-efficient renovation and update of the façades to match the new building. The goal of the entire project is to achieve the ambitious Minergie-P certification.
The architects and developer look forward to realising the ambitious construction, where the sustainable solutions support the architecture and aesthetics.
In addition to the Tilia Tower, 3XN and IttenBrechbühl designed the International Olympic Committee's new headquarters Olympic House, also located in Lausanne. Olympic House opened in 2019 and has been named the most sustainable office building in the world.
Images: 3XN
