IOC Headquarters | 3xN Architects

Architect/Design:
3xN Architects

Location:
Lausanne, Switzerland

Opening:
2019

Interior:
Soft Cells freeform convex panels throughout

About the Project

Olympic House, features a custom Softcell Acoustics solution on its walls, incorporating storytelling artwork. The award-winning headquarters is one of the most sustainable buildings in the world. The Softcell Acoustics solution supports the architects’ key objectives: movement, transparency, flexibility, sustainability, and collaboration. It comprises primarily freeform Softcell Acoustics Soft Cells panels, which deliver colour-coded visual guidance in different areas and serve as Class A acoustic cladding on the building’s concrete cores. As the acoustic Soft Cells allow for distance between the core and the panels, they enable airflow. This ability translated into a competitive advantage for 3xN architects, as no other architects could offer this to the IOC. The Softcell Acoustics Soft Cells panels feature a custom graphical concept: large icons of athletes engaging in a spectrum of different Olympic disciplines, which are printed on the textile Primus. Søren Nesting, Architect, 3xN Architects: "Following a detailed study and evaluation, Soft Cells panels were selected because of their high-end finish, precision and inherent flexibility, which allowed for the alteration of the printed design on the panels. During the execution stage, close collaboration with Softcell Acoustics helped ensure that the final result met the architects' and the client's expectations."