Confronting crisis, redefining roles

ST: We are facing multiple forms of crises today that we need to tackle collectively. The ecological crisis is intrinsically linked to social crises. We believe that new paradigms are needed when it comes to materiality, technology, and creating projects, including questioning whether to build or not. We need to become more inclusive and reconsider the way we work. We want to tackle these issues and explore the new perspectives they open up.

JT: For us, it's about addressing the topic of building transformation, focusing on what can be improved or changed in relation to an existing space. It's a way of maintaining a built heritage and perpetuating traditional skills but also challenging them when necessary. Our work is based on the active analysis of social and environmental contexts. We seek to reveal a substance that is already in a place. It's a way for us to reappropriate an object and make it correspond to the place and the people who are part of it.

ST: We navigate between different geographies, since we operate in two cities: Lausanne and Fribourg. Our journey to Lausanne began with a project—a commission for a music school. We had the opportunity to use the space temporarily as our office before turning it into a construction site, which became an insightful experiment. I believe this experience of immersing ourselves in situ is why we stayed here. Indeed, Lausanne has a unique historical context. The city developed around hubs like Le Flon and Sébeillon, once industrial centres renowned for their crafts. However, many skilled practitioners are now being pushed out of the city. For us, it was especially stimulating to work on a project where electricians arrived at the construction site by bicycle. We need to keep skilled workers within urban areas. They are crucial to keeping cities functional, especially in light of current challenges, such as the maintenance and care of built environments. In Fribourg, we are currently moving into a space that’s a former military barracks converted into workspaces for associations and small entities. We're in a neighbourhood that's undergoing radical changes. There's a ressourcerie and workshops right next door to our offices, with which we'll be able to work closely.

Prototyping architecture

JT: Before going to architectural school, we both did architectural drafting apprenticeships, which enabled us to acquire a solid understanding of the construction and operation of buildings as well as the practice of drawing and detailing in architecture. I also worked in a wood factory, where I gained experience in timber construction techniques. Later on, I had my own office next to a workshop in Fribourg equipped with woodworking machinery. This setup allowed me to create prototypes and self-build constructions for diverse architectural projects.

ST: After our studies at the BFH/HES-SO and the LUCA School of Arts, for almost ten years we were involved with developing the Constructlab transnational and transdisciplinary network across different places in Europe and engaging with communities through self-built architecture and design projects. These collective and hands-on experiences have also allowed us to reflect on the way architecture can be explored. We both have a strong practical background and share a keen interest in working with materiality, understanding techniques, and collaborating with people from diverse backgrounds, integrating various disciplines into our work.

ST: Our approach minimises the use of models; instead, we view the site itself as our model. We prefer to create prototypes and work closely with skilled craftspeople, who possess specific expertise. Together, we run experiments that enable us to reflect on different aspects of the project. We think it's important to experience things in real life. Our work relies heavily on collaboration. For the music school project, for example, we developed the furniture in close collaboration with the cabinetmaker Jules Desarzens and the carpenter Louis Gibault, step-by-step, through the use of prototypes either in the workshop or on the construction site.

JT: We see a building site as an ongoing project. Working alongside craftspeople, we make decisions on-site, responding to the context rather than relying solely on theoretical decisions made beforehand at our desks. This approach aligns with the strong emphasis on experimentation in our work, which inherently involves the risk of failure. Experimenting within temporary structures or installations is more manageable since the stakes are lower, but trying out ideas in permanent buildings is more challenging. This is why the clients must be on board; they must be willing to engage in this process and accept the associated risks. 

JT: Every building and location is unique, and we carefully consider the opportunities for effective technology for each context. There are always specific and situated solutions for how to heat a place, cool it down, or make it breathe. We value sharing experiences with engineers or practitioners to develop systems tailored specifically to the building and its occupants.

ST: We don’t aim to create merely self-sufficient buildings—what we refer to as passive buildings; instead, we design active buildings that engage people, materials, and places. This is also why we explore the concept of ‘milieu’, appreciating the idea of beings being part of a larger group. This theme is closely linked to our way of working, influencing how we source materials, how we compose a project, and how places are inhabited.

Situated technology

ST: As we already mentioned, one of our recent projects involves the transformation of an old car repair shop in Lausanne for a collective of musicians who run a music school. Early on, we thought it would be interesting to experiment with the existing building: we put our atelier within it. We also invited friends and colleagues to take part in this temporary usage, organising, together with the music school, various activities such as workshops, screenings, and concerts. It was a fascinating opportunity, and the clients were supportive of our approach. The space didn’t have a proper heating system, having been an old mechanic’s garage filled with cars. In those days, it was work that kept people warm. But with the change in the use of the space, it became active again, since we were developing the project from inside it. This is why we refer to the place as the model. We are part of the model itself, feeling it from the inside.

Occupying the space allowed for experimentation. After a concert, we decided to remove two of the auditorium’s existing pillars. Something like this only becomes evident when you use the space as intended. Another lesson emerged from collaborating with students and designers to determine how to introduce modular furniture that preserves the essence of this old garage.

JT: It is becoming increasingly important to develop alternative ways of cooling buildings so that they can co-exist with global warming. In collaboration with Perenzia engineers, we developed a system that fills an existing underground oil tank with water to absorb the temperature from the earth. This circulating water system then transfers the soil's temperature to the floor of the building, providing a simple way to cool down the school on hot days. For air circulation, we draw air from the roof, allowing it to pass through the ribbed concrete slab cooled by a green roof above. These situated technologies minimise reliance on motorised and complex systems, leveraging the building’s existing potential to enhance comfort. These techniques are integrated into the building’s overall system.

ST: In an experiment, there are no bad ideas. We think it is important to try out concepts that could potentially reduce the chances that occupants will later install air conditioning. This is why we also formulated the approach of placing white stones on the roof below the air inlet to reflect sun rays and cool the incoming air, slightly altering the interior temperature. Also, we incorporated adobe bricks inside to absorb coolness at night and release it during the day with the help of the musicians who are now charged with opening and closing the windows at the right moment allowing more nighttime cool air to enter the building.

Pre-use or re-use?

JT: Together with TRANSFORM, the research institute at HEIA-FR, we have recently self-built a pavilion for a schoolyard. This project also addresses the issue of heat and explores how to cool open spaces, focusing on enhancing comfort in cities during the summer months. But for this project, we focused particularly on the question of the displacement of building materials. We introduced logs into the yard, using them as pillars to create a forest-like atmosphere, providing shade and transforming the space’s appearance. We took a tree, cut it to the appropriate length, and gave it a function. These logs are the result of larch thinning work carried out by forest rangers in the Fribourg region. They were planted after a severe storm in 1999 in Switzerland that devastated many forests, leading to the planting of this variety that’s traditionally more common in Alpine areas to enhance biodiversity. It is also known as a species more resistant to global warming. Larch wood requires no weather protection treatment.

ST: This project essentially involves the displacement and transformation of materials in different ways. It is a project made to last five years, so it is about coming and going. These logs have been transformed as little as possible. They have an important purpose now, and can later be repurposed into different forms. Always smaller, of course. We used raw industrial elements: The standard concrete pavement we stacked is a reused element from another dismantled square; the concrete slabs come straight from a demolition site and were cut to the right size. We have all these building elements that are pre-used or re-used and will be here for five years before continuing their journey. 

JT: We are still waiting for one element, which is being produced at the moment: the fabric that will create shade. We collaborated with a physicist to develop two shade systems: one that provides an unobstructed view of the sky by using only vertical shades that create continuous shadows on the ground, and another that facilitates airflow. Shade should not solely rely on an overhead, horizontal surface. We are not experts, but we believe in cross-fertilization of knowledge and experiences. To help tackle ecological issues, we are also involved in the association ARCHITECTES POUR LE CLIMAT, a platform for knowledge exchange regarding built and territorial environments.

ST: Viewing our practice as research is important to us. We like to be empirical and experimental. It’s an attitude.