Métropole Lausanne

Short description

The Métropole complex is considered the "oldest shopping center in Lausanne" and is a major attraction for the west of the municipality. It is located at the junction of Rue des Terreaux, the eastern exit of Place Chauderon, and marks the entrance to the city center. It attracts around 80,000 to 100,000 customers every week.

The project

The concept, which is in line with the program, is based on a less narrow and more rational design of the traffic routes: the routes are greatly simplified, which favors the increase in the number of points of sale. The key element of the project is the design of the vertical circulation between Rue de Genève and Rue des Terreaux, which is four storeys higher. Conveniently, the space between the two existing buildings - the Passage des Jumelles - will be equipped with a row of escalators that will be open to the public around the clock. This facilitates the expansion of the catchment area while developing on several levels, which is a logical correlation with the topography of Lausanne. The renovation therefore involves far more than just superficial measures: It allows a complete redesign of the commercial offer while evoking the revitalization of pedestrian traffic between two districts. The work involved in this major project involved a very precise phasing, particularly in the structural area: the new connection between the existing structures required the demolition of the gable facades in both buildings, accompanied by complex measures to support the loads transferred over several floors. The building blends elegantly into the locally created urban fabric. It meets the expectations of the clients and represents a modern and attractive shopping center that also contributes to the urbanization of Lausanne, on the edge of two districts whose commercial importance is increasing.

Services in detail

The program, which serves to modernize the complex and "turn it around" towards Flon, offers the possibility of accommodating around 15 new stores on an almost unchanged total sales area. The floors are accessible from both Rue des Terreaux and Rue de Genève on the Flon level, where arcades have been created on the site of the former Coop loading docks that have left the site. The parking garage integrated into the building has 293 parking spaces, 213 of which are available to the shopping center's customers. The work is being carried out in successive stages and is intended to ensure that the entire complex can remain in operation during the 20-month construction period.