Lausanne: Vaudoise Insurance opens its renovated head office

At the end of April, «Le Cèdre», the headquarters of Vaudoise Insurance, was ceremoniously reopened in Lausanne. «Le Cèdre», designed in 1956 by architect Jean Tschumi and named after the trees on his property, is regarded as a total work of art thanks to its successful combination of architecture, design, art and functionality - and as an icon of modern Swiss architecture. Tschumi developed an open, bright and functional design that integrated industrial materials such as concrete, glass and aluminum; he also ventured into technical innovations such as open-plan offices, a staff restaurant, an underground car park and active ceiling heating - concepts that were still new to Switzerland at the end of the 1950s.

The building was first renovated in the 1990s, but «Le Cédre» no longer met today's requirements in terms of comfort, technology and energy efficiency, which is why Vaudoise decided to renovate it again - with the aim of preserving the architectural heritage and adapting it to modern standards and new ways of working. Tschumi's concepts, materials and principles were to be continued as far as possible. The renovation was carried out by the Lausanne-based firm Itten+Brechbühl, which won over the jury in the 2020 competition with its «Un moment charnière» project. It takes a pragmatic approach, respects the heritage value of the building, integrates modern working methods and meets the criteria of the Well Gold label: it focuses on the well-being of employees - air quality, natural light, thermal comfort, ergonomics and acoustics.

Before work began, a comprehensive survey was carried out to define a precise frame of reference for the historical substance of the building, its original functions and its identity-forming elements. The new color scheme, for example, is based on the original color palette developed by Tschumi. To improve transparency, daylight and views, the interior walls were removed or replaced with glass walls on several floors. Several pieces of furniture designed by the architect have been recreated as closely as possible to the originals; the link between architecture and art has also been strengthened with new works by artists such as Claudia Comte and Yann Gross. The renovated building, which cost Vaudoise around CHF 28 million to convert, now offers space for around 500 employees. For the insurance company, the successful renovation of «Le Cédre» is also emblematic of its own company. As Philippe Hebeisen, Chairman of the Vaudoise Board of Directors, explained at the opening, it is «a perfect example of our ability to combine cultural heritage and modernity, tradition and innovation». (bw)