A Three-Storey Building of Culture, Sports and Education Serves a Community in Romont

Epicentre is a new building in Romont, Switzerland with a centrepiece swimming pool that’s open to the surrounding community. An architectural design goal to spread natural light throughout a communal building has been realized with rooflight and window installations. The three architects responsible for designing this innovative new building are GNWA Gonzalo Neri & Weck Architekten GmbH .

VELUX Modular Skylights were chosen to provide natural light and ventilation throughout Epicentre, an eco-friendly building with solar panel installations. A music conservatory, cafeteria, and additional sports facilities are being utilized year-round.

A structural design with galvanised floating steel

The contrast between a glazed ground floor facade and the facade of galvanised steel showcases the building's inner structure. A structural engineer was involved in the project from design inception, participating in the design concept and architectural development. The ground floor reveals a striking aesthetic with concrete and wooden beam interplays creating an environment of calm.

Rooflight installations for year-round daylight exposure

GNWA architects were convinced about the benefits of sunlight and adamant about using daylight solutions to realise their vision for natural light to illuminate community spaces. A collaboration between client, architect and daylight solution partner VELUX Commercial has been successful; GNWA adjusted standard details to fit the design of beams incorporating structure, pipes and acoustics into design plans.

Functional layouts for a communal epicentre

The layout of three floors and the visual appearance of these spaces are strongly connected to the building's load-bearing structure, allowing daylight to enter throughout Epicentre from above via rows of continuous skylights. On the west side, the building connects via a covered terrace accompanied by a green outdoor space. Music conservatory rooms are in the north wile exercise rooms and a wellness area occupy spaces along the western and southern facades.

"A design goal was to create a calm space. The structural timber elements hide the technical installations. The feeling while swimming in the pool resembles being outdoors."

GNWA architect, Marco Neri

Photo Credits: Rasmus Norlander