In connection with the development of the Renens train station, which is on its way to becoming the third largest train station in French-speaking Switzerland and a structuring interface of Western Lausanne, SBB Real Estate has planned a real estate project of buildings south of the tracks, the Quai Ouest project. This project includes the construction of two new mixed-use buildings and the renovation of the existing station.
Project Name: AMY – MIXED-USE BUILDING IN RENENS
Studio Name: FRES architectes
The Quai Ouest project fits both in the existing downtown area of Renens and in a dynamic of mutation of the station pole with a series of surrounding projects in progress. The project must weave links not only with the existing but also draw the future of this urban pole.
The volumetry of the new buildings is divided into horizontal strata that are inflected by a series of recesses that allow for a gradual evolution towards the penthouse. This division softens the scale of the buildings, which are of considerable size, and establishes relationships of scale with the buildings in the surrounding context; on the one hand the scale of the existing passenger building, on the other hand that of the existing buildings forming the station square, and finally the scale of the railway infrastructure.
The programmatic assignments are also divided into horizontal strata: the shops on the ground floor in connection with the pedestrian flows around the station, then the offices on the first and second levels, and finally the housing, in the upper part, to take better advantage of the view and natural light.
The access to the dwellings is done through a generous atrium with zenithal lighting, reinforcing the social link between the inhabitants. Access to the home becomes a spatial walk that connects the building’s entrance hall with relaxation spaces, linked to the collective uses and conducive to meetings.
The typological diversity proposed for the dwellings offers a rich array of configurations available to the tenants. The privileged location of the building and the elevated layout of the dwellings allow the inhabitants to benefit from unobstructed views of the urban context, the lake, the alpine landscape, and the railway domain.
The building’s facades are composed of vertical concrete slats, which provide a visual filter and define the identity of the building. Their size and spacing vary according to the program. This principle of facades ensures a unitary treatment of the building, while exploiting its dynamic perception from the train, and allowing to subtly read the different programs that compose it. Depending on the angle of view, the building is perceived differently, going from introverted to transparent in a fraction of a second from the train, bringing a vibration to the reading of the landscape.
