The Opéra de Lausanne serves as one of the most prominent examples of the architectural output of Inès Lamunière, a Swiss designer and educator. Active since the early 1980s, her career balances the technical demands of large-scale urban infrastructure with a profound interest in the theoretical frameworks that govern how modern societies inhabit and navigate constructed environments.
Academic Foundation and Research
Born in Geneva in 1954, Lamunière earned her degree from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) in 1980. Her early academic development included research at the Swiss Institute of Rome and an assistantship under Werner Oechslin at ETH Zurich. She eventually returned to EPFL to establish the Laboratory for Architecture and Urban Mobility in 2001. Throughout her career, she held visiting professorships at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1996, 1999, and 2008, and served as an editor for the journal Faces from 1989 until 2004.
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In 1983, she co-founded the firm Devanthéry & Lamunière, focusing on heritage restoration, urban planning, and architectural design. The practice underwent a transition in 2007, rebranded as designlab-architecture SA. Lamunière remained at the core of the firm’s leadership, later expanding the partnership in 2015 to include Vincent Mas Durbec and Afonso Serpa. Her portfolio spans diverse typologies, from the 2000 Le Temps newspaper office in Geneva to the 2012 Batigène head office in Metz and the Life Sciences faculty at EPFL.
Theoretical Contributions
Beyond her practical building projects, Lamunière has authored significant texts concerning urbanism and contemporary threats to architecture. Her 2004 book Fo(u)r cities examined urban architecture, followed by the 2006 analysis Habiter la menace, which explored how security concerns impact spatial design. In 2018, she collaborated with Laurent Stalder on the volume Teaching Architecture, documenting her long-standing commitment to the pedagogical side of her profession.
Accolades
Her influence within the field has been recognized through various honors. She was awarded the Prix Méret-Oppenheim in 2011, an award acknowledging contributions to the arts in Switzerland. In 2017, the French government granted her the title of Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres for her professional achievements.
Fast facts
- Born: 1954, Geneva, Switzerland
- Education: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne
- Firm: designlab-architecture SA
- Major Award: Prix Méret-Oppenheim (2011)
- Notable Work: Opéra de Lausanne
- Languages: French, English
Questions readers ask
What is the focus of Lamunière's writing?
Her written works explore architectural theory, the relationship between complex infrastructures, urbanism, and the impact of societal threats on modern building design.
What is the name of her architecture firm?
She founded Devanthéry & Lamunière in 1983, which later evolved into the company known as designlab-architecture SA.
Achievements
- Notable work: Opéra de Lausanne
- Prix Méret-Oppenheim
- Trained at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne
