Rolex Learning Center by SANAA

DATE

25.08.2025

This project is visited during the study trip to Switzerland included in the MArch Advanced program in architecture, design, and business administration.

Located on the campus of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, the building was conceived as an open and fluid space dedicated to learning, research, and interaction between students, professors, and visitors. Since its inauguration in 2010, it has become a benchmark not only for its formal radicality but also for its ability to rethink how we inhabit educational spaces.

The building breaks away from the traditional compartmentalized layout of a university. It unfolds as a single continuous plane punctuated by courtyards that allow natural light in and maintain a constant connection between interior and exterior. The roof and floor undulate gently, generating an artificial topography that invites free movement and spontaneous appropriation of space. This geometry, with no hierarchies or defined boundaries, encourages informal encounters, group or individual study areas, and uninterrupted circulation. The result is a space that faithfully reflects SANAA’s philosophy: light, ethereal, and open to reinterpretation.

Beyond its innovative form, the Rolex Learning Center houses very specific functions: a large library with over 500,000 volumes, conference rooms, collaborative workspaces, offices, a bookstore, restaurants, and relaxation areas. All of this is organized without strict walls, using the undulating terrain to separate areas without enclosing them. The structure, made of white concrete with large spans and complex curves, posed a significant technical challenge, which was met with precision by engineers and architects to bring a nearly utopian spatial idea to life.

This building embodies a new way of understanding learning as a continuous, collective process situated in an inspiring environment. In the Rolex Learning Center, architecture does not merely contain functions—it enhances and transforms them. The transparency, fluidity, and lightness of the design invite us to rethink what educational spaces in the 21st century should be like. With this project, SANAA has not only created an architectural icon but also an environment where architecture and knowledge coexist in unique harmony.

MARCH VALENCIA | ARQUITECTURA Y DISEÑO

Back to News