Archives cantonales vaudoises

March 18, 2026 In Libraries

Occupying a plot of land just north of the Lausanne university campus, the cantonal archives were designed to be modular and adapt to collections growth. Architects Guy Collomb, Marc Collomb and Patrick Vogel of Atelier Cube conceived the facility as an elongated service building against which a series of square storage silos are arranged. Six such storage units were constructed by the opening date in 1984 and foundations were laid to further expand the site by up to 70% if required.

Exterior of a postmodern building, comprised of curved sections fanning out towards a grass meadow. To the right is a sculpture made out of geometric stone pieces.
The artwork in front of the Vaud cantonal archives in Lausanne is “Le grand sanctuaire” by André Raboud.

To the south of the service building are the public and service spaces, arranged in a quadrant like pieces of a pie. The curved exterior is broken up in sections that delineate their usage. Industrial windows mark the preservation workshops and sorting rooms on the ground floor. The public areas in the middle floor, welcome area, reading rooms and a small lecture theatre, are visually underlined by a section of the facade that projects outwards and is pierced by smaller square windows. Offices for staff and administration are on the top floor.

On the ground floor of one of the archive vaults is the caretaker’s apartment, which opens to a small private yard surrounded by bushes.

The red granite artwork standing on the meadow in front of the archives is “Le grand sanctuaire” by André Raboud.

A postmodern building with a minimalist design, featuring a rectangular section with small windows and a curved roof, connected to a lighter-colored wing with geometric shapes, set on a grassy lawn under a clear blue sky.
The archive vaults, made of concrete bricks and with their arched medal roofs, are visually distinct from the service building to the left.
Exterior of a postmodern building, comprised of curved sections fanning out towards a grass meadow. Two people are walking on a path to the left.
The services building is arranged in sections like pieces of a pie.

The images shown here were taken in September 2023.

References

798093 Archives cantonales vaudoises 1 apa 50 creator asc title 19244 https://thomasguignard.photo/wp-content/plugins/zotpress/
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Atelier Cube. (1985). Das Einzelne und das Ganze eines Erbes: die Archive des Kantons Waadt, Lausanne, 1984. Werk, Bauen + Wohnen, 72(7/8), 8.
Raboud, N. (n.d.). Le grand sanctuaire. In Kunstbulletin. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
Sommella-Grossi, M. (1998). Atelier Cube. In I. Rucki & D. Huber (Eds.), Architektenlexikon der Schweiz 19./20. Jahrhundert (pp. 27–28). Birkhäuser Verl.
Archives cantonales vaudoises. (1986). In Architecture Suisse (p. 73.7-73.12).
Archives cantonales vaudoises à Chavannes-près-Renens. (2021). In B. Marchand & P. Schroeter, Architecture du canton de Vaud 1975-2000 (Première édition, p. 182). EPFL Press.



Content note

Library detail pages are primarily a place for me to collect information I gather on the libraries I visit, and are frequently updated. None of this should be considered authoritative, I am not an architect, nor a historian. If you notice something incorrect, please let me know!



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