Rolex Learning Center, Library building in Lausanne, Switzerland
The Rolex Learning Center is a learning facility on the EPFL campus featuring a flowing, wave-like structure that blurs the boundaries between inside and outside. Open spaces connect through slopes and terraces, creating areas for study, research, and community gatherings without rigid walls.
SANAA, the Tokyo firm of Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, won EPFL's international competition in December 2004 against architects including Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas and Jean Nouvel. Construction ran from 2007 to 2009 at a cost of 110 million Swiss francs, funded by the Swiss government and sponsors such as Rolex, Logitech, Nestlé and Novartis. The building opened to the public on 22 February 2010 and was officially inaugurated on 27 May 2010.
The building's name comes from its main sponsor, Rolex, one of several Swiss firms that helped fund the 110 million franc project alongside the Confederation. Its open plateau was designed to encourage interdisciplinary encounters, and it holds the EPFL precious book collection, a bookshop called La Fontaine and the Forum Rolex hall seating 600.
The site is accessible daily and offers study areas, multimedia resources, and dining options throughout the building. The gentle slopes and open design make it easy to navigate between different levels and zones.
The building was constructed without traditional interior walls, allowing uninterrupted sight lines through the entire space. Five external courtyards pierce through the structure, bringing daylight and fresh air deep into the interior.
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