BETHUSY
LAUSANNE, SUISSE
Set within a fiercely urban environment, the secondary school at Bethusy mirrors its surroundings, itself a densely woven fabric of disparate building styles punctuated by gardens and wooded voids, all linked by a series of small squares. MA’s proposal integrates the various existing masses by co-opting interstitial space and the site’s topography, weaving the new buildings through the existing. Adjacent to the gymnasium spaces, the entry ‘spine’ is composed of three main elements: a western plaza for social gathering and outdoor sport exhibition, a restaurant and social condensing space on the eastern end, and a linear gallery linking the two. The multi- level intervention, which also includes a new gym perpendicular to the linear access points and partially embedded in the hillside, simultaneously improves thermal comfort for the entire complex and creates a subtly unifying façade accessible from various levels and linking the north and south ends of the campus.
www.montalbaarchitects.com
