EPFL raises the bar on high-precision research

Today’s basic research relies on instruments that are so sensitive that they essentially need to be cut off from the outside world. That’s the idea behind the Advanced Science Building (ASB), a future on-campus structure that will accommodate cutting-edge research labs on seven floors, including two underground. It will be built on the site of the Colladon parking lot, with construction starting in 2026. Architecture firms KAAN Architecten in Rotterdam and Celnikier & Grabli Architectes in Paris won the RFP. 

Basic research in fields like quantum physics, nanotechnology, biology, chemistry and materials science entails running experiments with an extremely high degree of precision - to the point where it’s getting extremely difficult to isolate equipment from outside noise that can distort the results. "If we want EPFL to remain at the forefront of R&D, we need a building that can provide the conditions scientists need to conduct advanced experiments - both now and as their needs change in the future," says Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, EPFL’s president-delegate and the person in charge of cross-disciplinary research centers when plans for the ASB - which is intended to fill this role - were initially discussed.

In this context, ’outside noise’ means much more than just sounds. It also includes electromagnetic disturbances, physical vibrations and temperature and humidity fluctuations, for example. Such externalities must be eliminated to ensure that scientists’ findings are accurate, especially when they conduct experiments on an atomic scale. That was the key specification in the ambitious RFP that EPFL issued to architecture firms in 2022. The building also had to be able to accommodate 26 research groups - or up to 600 occupants - in high-tech labs open to scientists from both within and outside EPFL.

An isolated silo

The winning design, from a consortium led by KAAN Architecten and Celnikier & Grabli Architectes, was announced in late 2023. It includes a number of innovative ideas. One is to construct a central "silo" mounted on springs and detached from the rest of building. The silo will house the building’s HVAC and other equipment - which generates all sorts of possible noise. The rooms for preparing and running experiments, as well as the building corridors, will surround the silo in a series of layers spreading out from the center. "We believe this is the most effective design for making sure that scientists can do their work under optimal conditions while meeting the specific needs of research labs, such as labs where outside vibrations must be kept to below a tenth of a micron per second. We came up with the design by pooling the skills within our consortium and by working with EPFL through workshops, drawing on the input of its experts and others who will use the building. It was an iterative approach that proved to be highly worthwhile," say Jacob Celnikier and Marco Lanna, speaking on behalf of the consortium.

A living building

The offices will be modular in design and will feature wood finishings, with views of the Lausanne campus, Lake Geneva and the Alps. The building will also include gathering areas near the main passageways and a tree-filled forecourt. The idea is to make the ASB an inviting, pleasant place to work.

The building is part of EPFL’s strategy of honing its efforts in basic research. The ASB will help anchor the School’s position as one of the world’s leading research institutes. "There are only a handful of R&D centers worldwide with this kind of facility, and we visited all’of them as we were mapping out our specifications," says Ambrogio Fasoli, EPFL’s associate vice president of research at the time. "We drew from the best of each center we visited and learned from their mistakes."

Sustainability is also a priority at EPFL, and the new building is designed to set an example. For instance, it must meet the requirements for obtaining the Swiss Sustainable Building Council’s DGNB certification, and any structures that will be made of concrete must contain recycled materials insofar as possible (the other structures will be made mostly out of wood). The ASB is expected to cost around CHF 200 million. The plans will be put up for public consultation in 2025, and the construction work is scheduled to run from 2026 to 2029.