Le Vortex: emblematic of sustainability

900 days for 900 apartments – the challenging timetable for designing and building the Vortex student accommodation in Chavannes-près-Renens was a sprint in itself, only made feasible with the collaborative BIM work methodology. The building had to be completed in time for the Youth Olympic Games that were held in Lausanne and the surrounding area in the winter of 2019/20. The ring-shaped building stretching over ten floors is on the periphery of the University of Lausanne’s campus in Chavannes-près-Renens. The building’s special feature is its 2.8 km long spiral ramp that connects the floors, providing access to all the apartments within the complex. It has a gradient of under 1% and offers a social aspect: as the “communal path”, so to speak, it promotes a feeling of unity, communication and exchange among the residents. Part of the electricity consumption in the Vortex is covered with the help of the photovoltaic panels installed on the roof. In addition to this, heat pumps draw water from Lake Geneva from a depth of 60 metres and feed it into the heating system at a constant temperature of 7 degrees Celsius.

What goes on in student accommodation? Learning, sleeping, swapping ideas, cooking together, having fun and experiencing new things – all this and much more. That is why it is just as important to have communal areas where students will enjoy hanging out as it is to provide the best possible privacy. And since a lot of young people are all congregated here in the same spot, it is bound to get noisy sometimes. It is the ramp in the Vortex that sees most of the action. Each residential unit opens out onto the ramp via a glass front. All these parameters had to be taken into account when deliberating on the most suitable solution for privacy and sun shading. The space-saving roller blind RL 37 from Schenker Storen provides both reliable darkening and sight protection for privacy. Its slightly rounded sliding profiles are foam-filled, which gives them even greater stability as well as improved noise and heat insulation. The noise-damping inserts in the guide rails also guarantee a quiet operation. The sturdy construction with sliding profiles is characterised by its long service life and is completely service and maintenance-friendly.

The compact venetian blind VR 90 was chosen as aesthetic, discreet sun shading on the exterior. This too is service and maintenance-friendly. Its low-noise and easy-to-use operation never fails to impress. Its specially shaped slats provide good darkening and excellent insulation. This in turn contributes significantly to the building’s energy efficiency, while ensuring a pleasant indoor climate and sense of well-being.