Archi­tec­ture

This archi­tec­tural work is char­ac­ter­ised by a wide gap that separ­ates mudac in the upper part, from Photo Elysée in the base of the build­ing. Each museum has its own place but shares a recep­tion and meet­ing area that is an exten­sion of the public esplanade. Its bright open­ing, a feat of engin­eer­ing, signals the public entrance to the site.

In a single volume, this project synthes­ises the dual­ity and comple­ment­ar­ity of the two museums, partic­u­larly through the use of light. Whether it is zenithal and uniform for the mudac plat­eau, or lateral and irreg­u­lar for Photo Elysée, the light rein­forces the iden­tity of each of the museums.

The museum has nearly 1,500 m² of floor space for all its tempor­ary and semi-perman­ent exhib­i­tions. An outreach centre located in the heart of the exhib­i­tion halls has almost 90 m² for its activ­it­ies.

Thanks to this gener­ous space (twice the surface the museum enjoyed in its previ­ous setting) mudac is able to carry out large-scale projects. By show­cas­ing its collec­tions in dynamic, evolving, and innov­at­ive ways, mudac is able to create outreach projects aimed at differ­ent audi­ences.

In addi­tion, a space dedic­ated to small, specific projects can be used as and when required, in response to current events or to echo an exhib­i­tion at the MCBA or Photo Elysée. Lastly, mudac’s main exhib­i­tion space allows for one or more exhib­i­tions to be presen­ted simul­tan­eously.

Neigh­bour­ing the MCBA, the spec­tac­u­lar build­ing delim­its a new public space on the esplanade, which is destined to become a bust­ling land­mark.

The Cantonal Botan­ical Gardens and Museum, in part­ner­ship with the depart­ments of the City of Lausanne, are creat­ing an educa­tional trail to the west, along the green route, show­cas­ing the biod­iversity of urban veget­a­tion.

Oppos­ite the MCBA, 14 arcades host cultural, creat­ive, and educa­tional activ­it­ies, as well as a terrace and café.