Competition
5th prize, 5th position, 2019
Client
HES-SO Valais/Wallis
Architects
Itten+Brechbühl AG
Floor area
17 570 m2
Construction volume
70 095 m3
Visualisations
Yos, Zurich
The new Campus Pôle Santé in Sion is a flagship hub for the sharing of knowledge and experience, also offering a venue for meetings amongst and with healthcare professionals. As a genuine social catalyst, the building breathes new life into the area to the west of the site on the periphery of the city of Sion's green belt.
This project's location, design and precise form aim to promote interaction with the buildings already present on the site and to achieve harmony with the wooded areas that surround the hospital itself.
Access to the building is gained through a generously-proportioned piazza that invites visitors to approach the centre of the complex where a grand staircase links the different floors. This access connects with the urban road network and free-flowing pedestrian movement is ensured by a new promenade that traverses the building and runs through the entire site.
The ground floor is permeable to pedestrians, with accommodation for public facilities such as the auditorium, media library, cafeteria and crèche, organised to highlight vistas of the surrounding countryside. The building opens up possibilities for dialogue with the public areas located in the centre and around internal courtyards. Research and teaching rooms alternate on the upper floors to emphasise the synergies between these two areas of activity.
The project seeks to foster a strong sense of identity as well as the desire to maximize flexibility and nurture opportunities for exchange.