Architects Datafile (ADF) – Timber in Architecture (Supplement – August 2019)

width made up of seven planes which,

according to the architects, make the scale

of the building appear “ambiguous and

abstract”. A chimney structure also

protrudes from the roof, nodding to the

cottage typologies found in the region.

“Questions of form were very

important,” says Saurer. In terms of scale,

the architects wanted the building to be

“something within the measure of a child.”

It was important that the building’s mass

were restrained; firstly, to better integrate it

into the village, which is made up of small

buildings, and secondly, so it wouldn’t

appear intimidating to the younger

demographic that make up a significant

portion of users. The team was also keen

for the building to react to the nearby

mountains, and decided to orient the

rooflines in parallel with the topography.

The result “looks, in a way, like part of the

landscape,” remarks Saurer.

Drawing lines between the new hall and

its context and as part of the client’s brief,

the architects specified only local materials

for Le Vaud’s new hall, with its exterior

shrouded primarily in agricultural steel, like

that used for farmhouses and agricultural

buildings throughout the Swiss Jura.

Triangular sections of slatted pine appear to

sprout up from the building’s east and west

elevations, providing a shading system to

the triangular window beneath, while the

same slatted timber frames expanses of

glazing recessed into the mass of the

building right across the north and south

elevations. Here, far-reaching views of the

Jura mountains to the north, and Mont

Blanc to the south are captured for users.

Uninterrupted space

“The interior works with the topography,

too,” says Saurer, “with some rooms

hidden underground.” The concrete

forecourt doubles up as the roof slab of

some of the accommodation on the lower

ground floor of the building, housing

numerous amenities such as lavatories,

plant, small function rooms, a kitchen area,

and storage areas for chairs, tables, and

other equipment.

One of the client’s requests

was to incorporate as

much local material into

the building’s construction

as possible

14POLYVALENT HALL, LE VAUD

WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK ADF AUGUST 2019