Route de Berne 46

This building is located at the outskirts of the city of Lausanne, along one of its main access roads from the north. The simple volume resulting from a rather straightforward programmatic demand—the commercial leasing of office spaces—was also informed by city regulations, prescribed by the department of urban planning, that imposed the outline of the building and the construction of an attic. At ground level, the volume rests on a piloti structure to allow circulation through access porticos. Though the building presents itself from three sides as a concrete monolith, the facade towards the road is radically different. This entire elevation is composed of a glass skin protected by a series of aluminium and glass vertical brise-soleil. The shades differ from similar wing shaped elements in that only two thirds of each element is opaque; the remaining third is of a tinted glass. When totally closed, the brise-soleil still allow some light in and visual contact with the exterior. Being controlled independently by the users of each corresponding inside space, the position of each set of shades varies, creating a movement within the facade. The alternation of aluminium and glass and the resulting play of light and shadows also contribute to animate this side of the building. The rest of the volume is treated in exposed concrete using white cement with aggregates made from a yellow stone found in the Swiss Juras Mountains.