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Danish architect 3XN and Swiss designer Itten + Brechbühl have unveiled their plan for an extension to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL).
The 250,000 sq m Ecotope expansion of the institute’s Science Park and Innovation Square will be an “ecological landscape” with laboratories and offices arranged around its perimeter, joined by two atriums.
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The Science Park and Innovation Square presently houses 150 start-ups and 30 large companies employing over 2,600 people. Now it is at capacity and an expansion is necessary.
Jan Ammundsen, 3XN’s senior partner, said: “Our design creates 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.”
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Ursula Oesterle, EPFL’s vice president for innovation, added: “It’s not just about adding surface area. Today, businesses interested in innovation – whether startups or established companies – need a place where they can meet on a daily basis to share ideas. That’s the kind of vibrant, stimulating environment we intend to create with Ecotope.”
The first phase of construction is due to begin in 2023.