Rolex Learning Center – Where to find the holes in the building

For a long time now, there has been one point on my Swiss travel program that I can now finally tick off – namely a visit to the Rolex Learning Center on the EPFL campus in Ecublens VD (near Lausanne). With the new Rolex Learning Center, the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) has an extremely special building, which includes a library and study spaces for over 700 students and caused a sensation worldwide.

The EPFL can be reached from Lausanne station by first taking the metro line M2 in the direction of Croisettes to Lausanne-Flon for one station and then changing to the M1 in the direction of Renens. The journey from the centre of Lausanne takes about 20 minutes and can therefore be easily combined with a visit to the city of Lausanne (which I recommend to everyone).

Viewed from above, the building looks like a very holey Swiss cheese. If you look at the sides, the undulating bottom awakens sea memories. The building was won in an international architectural competition (2004) by SANAA from Tokyo and has now been completed.

I really like the building itself. It is incredibly fascinating how many different perspectives can be experienced when walking through the empty spaces between and under the building (which is possible due to the waveform).

What I didn’t like was the “asphalt desert” in the many courtyards, which are formed by the holes. It is exciting that the competition project always referred to green inner courtyards. Where did they go? In my opinion, this would be a major point of improvement, especially for the quality of stay. What I also hadn’t found out was whether you even get into the building as a guest … Since we visited the campus on a Saturday, all entrances were only passable with keycards. However, it may be different during the week.

Update: The opening hours of the Rolex Learning Center can be found on the EPFL website. The building is open to visitors from Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Since I always like to combine my excursions with exciting architecture, I am looking forward to all comments from you if you have any highlights or insider tips in store :-).