Team led by Éric Maria Architectes will adapt the 18th-century Bassenges Estate into an expanded home for the Bernoulli Centre for Fundamental Studies.
A university in Switzerland has selected a team led by Geneva-based Éric Maria Architectes, working with UK practices Donald Insall Associates and HTA Design, to adapt an 18th-century estate into an expanded home for a scientific research centre.
The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), plans to convert the estate into an expanded home for the Bernoulli Centre for Fundamental Studies, which focuses on mathematics, fundamental physics, and computer science research.
The project was awarded through an international design competition. Donald Insall Associates will act as conservation architect and HTA Design as landscape architect.
The estate includes several listed buildings, among them the Château de Bassenges, a ‘winegrower’s house’, a farmer’s cottage, and a large barn. The project seeks to restore the existing buildings while integrating them with contemporary interventions.
Éric Maria, founder of the lead practice, said the scheme aims to “blend architectural sustainability with respect for historical heritage”, incorporating local and reused materials.
The scheme is also intended to provide enhanced spaces for academic collaboration, outreach activities, and engagement with the wider community.
Francis Maude, director at Donald Insall Associates, said the project provided an opportunity to “restore the original historic footprint of the site and connect to the wider EPFL campus.”
The landscape strategy refers to the Renaissance concept of ‘The Three Natures’ – wilderness, agriculture, and garden – with the aim of creating a setting that supports academic activity while maintaining agricultural functions. Plans include an agora for academic discussion, a formal garden, and a new market square.
HTA Design’s landscape design director Natalia Roussou described it as a “well-connected biophilic landscape” for researchers and the local community.
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