3XN and IttenBrechbühl have won an international competition to design Tilia Tower, a 278-foot-tall wooden tower on the outskirts of Lausanne, Switzerland.
The design includes the tower as well as the transformation and renovation of two existing buildings for the real estate company Insula SA. The project includes retail, apartments, a hotel, co-working, and various public functions such as bars, shops, restaurants, and cafes.
The apartments are structured as a series of individual elements that shift on top of each other in a rational arrangement while deep window niches and terraces reach out and create a connection between the building, its users, and the outdoor space. The depth of the niches and terraces optimizes energy efficiency through shading and daylight optimization and creates comfortable, undisturbed recreational outdoor areas.
Connected to the new high-rise will be an existing office building and a badminton hall. The existing buildings will undergo an energy-efficient renovation and facade updates to match the new tower. Additionally, a new square will be established in front of the building that will create a green urban space with biodiverse plants and microorganisms.
The project is targeting Minergie-P certification.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Gold Award: Westin Book Cadillac Hotel & Condominiums Detroit, Mich.
“From eyesore to icon.” That's how Reconstruction Awards judge K. Nam Shiu so concisely described the restoration effort that turned the decimated Book Cadillac Hotel into a modern hotel and condo development. The tallest hotel in the world when it opened in 1924, the 32-story Renaissance Revival structure was revered as a jewel in the then-bustling Motor City.
| Aug 11, 2010
Silver Award: Palmer House Hilton Hotel & Shops Chicago, Ill.
Chicago's Palmer House Hilton holds the record for the longest continuously operated hotel in North America. It was originally built in 1871 by Potter Palmer, one of America's first millionaire developers. When it was rebuilt after the Great Chicago Fire it became the first hotel in the U.S. to put a telephone in every room.
| Aug 11, 2010
Gulf Coast Hotel's Stormy Road to Recovery
After his initial tour of the dilapidated 1850s-era Battle House Hotel, Ron Blount, construction manager with Retirement Systems of Alabama, said to his boss: “You need a priest more than you need a contractor.” Those words were more prescient to RSA's restoration of the historic Mobile landmark than he could have known at the time.
| Aug 11, 2010
Lifestyle Hotel Trends Around the World
When the Rocco Forte Collection opens the Verdura Golf & Spa Resort in Sicily in early 2009, the 200-room luxury property will be one of the world's newest lifestyle hotels. Lifestyle hotels cater to guests seeking a heightened travel experience, which they deliver by offering distinctive—some would say avant-garde, or even outrageous—architecture, room design, amenities, and en...