IMD New Meeting Place

The New Meeting Place was the second project designed by Richter & Dahl Rocha for IMD’s Lausanne campus. This project addresses IMD’s goal of enhancing the facilities of its campus for a fast-growing student population. The restaurant and reception hall are located across and downhill from the New Learning Center, and facing Lake Geneva on a level site surrounded by a grove of Centennial trees. The project involved the expansion and renovation of the existing restaurant, a U-shaped masonry building that was once the stable of this private estate. It had already been modestly augmented by the addition of a steel and glass structure, which was replaced by a new pavilion inserted between the two wings of the old building. Not only the Centennial trees, but also abundant vegetation surrounds the pavilion: Toward the lake, the facade gently curves around a mature chestnut tree that has been carefully preserved. Unlike the neighboring New Learning Center, which is elevated above ground and appears as a compact volume looking out over the site, the New Meeting Place maintains a vital connection to the park. A light steel and wood structure, its three facades are composed of large panes of glass supported by vertical structural elements that act as shades while preserving the effect of transparency that the building conveys. The horizontal character of the building is reinforced by the wide roof canopy. Exterior and interior circulation paths begin at an intermediary level to negotiate the natural slope of the terrain. A vertical concrete and brick element at the entrance evokes the solid character of the original building, while concealing a concentration of mechanical systems. The restaurant extends from the ground floor, with its expansive terrace, to the upper floor with views onto the park. Interior spaces express a tension between the strongly vertical wood and glass enclosure and the horizontal thrust of the hung ceiling.