Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts in Lausanne

In conjunction with MCBA, the Barozzi/Veiga Spanish architect duo have created the first of three museum buildings, located in the north railway station area of Lausanne. The ‘Musée de l’Elysée’ museum of photography, the Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts (‘Musée de design et d'arts appliqués contemporains’, MUDAC), as well as MCBA will revive the previously unused zone as an interconnected whole. MCBA was built as the first of the three. This monolith of exposed concrete and linear geometry stands out as the biggest building in the area with its pragmatic shape. The vertical slats on its northern side provide an optimal supply of natural lighting, at the same time preventing the sunlight from damaging the exhibits.

In contrast to the extensive lobby with a concrete and agglomerate stone floor, the exhibition rooms taking up both of the upper floors of the building have a warm oak paquet. The choice fell on Bauwerk Parkett’s Silverline Edition. It impresses not only with its natural light-coloured look and the effect of space it creates, but also with its durability.