Description

In addition to the practical task of bringing together 500 IOC staff from four different sites in Lausanne in one new building on the shores of Lake Geneva, the Olympic House plays a central role in projecting a more positive outward image for the International Olympic Committee.

The amorphous form of the final building only came about in the revised design after the competition. The architects explain that the curvature of the façade minimises direct exposure to sunlight in the entirely glazed upper floors of the building. The IOC asked for a building that would be as flexible as possible and can facilitate different forms of communication and cooperation. The result is an open space office design with various qualities.

At the heart of the building is one of the most unusual staircases seen in a long time. Five pairs of stairs arranged in rings – made of steel and clad entirely in oak – ascend through the building but do not interconnect; one must always pass through part of a floor to reach the next flight of stairs. The most communicative zones are therefore around the atrium adjoining these main staircases. The RBSGROUP, who designed the interiors, created informal meeting places for the employees at the top of each stair, with distinctive, individual furnishing concepts that invite communicative interaction. As one moves away from the staircase atrium, passing various different-sized, glazed meeting rooms, the character of the interiors becomes progressively more concentration-focussed, with traditional workstations arranged along the façades.

The defining element of the Olympic House is its staircases, which offer such a wide variety of spatial situations that employees rarely use the elevator – understandable when walking up and down the stairs is such a pleasure!

Originally published in Bauwelt 16.2019, pp. 20-27, abridged and edited for Building Types online, translated by Julian Reisenberger

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