Waugh Thistleton Architects

In 2023, Waugh Thistleton Architects produced a design bid for a French Laboratory located in the alluvial plain of the Rhône. Bordered by the Alpine range to the South and the Jura to the North, the site is nestled within vernacular of traditional alpine buildings and wildlife. The site itself in contrast demanded a distinctly modern building to accommodate the scientific research work carried out within. Our response to the site’s unique context and purpose proposed the use of traditional materials, primarily timber, in a distinctly contemporary way, pushing the boundaries of material innovation whilst maintaining a connection to the local environment. 

Our design engages the site at a variety of scales to accommodate the various uses of the building. We have imagined a space for both scientific research and communal interaction, a place where ideas can be developed and shared. Central to our approach was the integration of the natural surroundings within our design. The building is flanked between neighbouring research buildings and the forest, facing onto the latter we have placed a communal, open patio, which coupled with curtain walling, draws the exquisite natural landscape into the interiors of the space. We have prioritised passive design, with natural ventilation throughout the scheme, and 50% window-to-wall ratio façades ensuring year-round daylighting.

Our scheme endeavours to use the most environmentally sustainable materials possible, primarily engineered mass timber, as both a reflection of our ethos as a practice, and in celebration of the scientific and technological innovation carried out at the site. The design exemplifies what is possible, an architecture that is both reasonable and reasoned: a signal building that is low in resources and fully integrated into a local ecosystem. It is elemental in nature, incorporating locally contextual materials including timber and earth to deliver a user-focussed building that prioritises wellbeing and stimulates collaboration.