Inaugurated in 2014 as one of the most contemporary and well-equipped congress centers in the world and winner of the 2016 and 2019 “Best Convention Center” Swiss Award, the SwissTech Convention Center is an iconic facility offering conference delegates from around the world the opportunity to meet differently. Located at the heart of Europe, on the shores of Lake Geneva, against the backdrop of a spectacular mountain setting, its venue is both idyllic and easily accessible. It can be conveniently reached by public transportation - train and metro - from the Geneva International airport in less than one hour, the metro station being right next to the venue.

 

This majestic building is distinguished by its modernity, its innovative technologies and a warm, experienced team. It is the only large convention center on a university campus - on the EPFL, the “MIT of Europe” - and it distinguishes itself from other major congress centers by its number of conference rooms and its adaptable capacity. The architecture of the building allows three auditoriums to become one; the number of seats in each auditorium can also be changed in just a few minutes.

 

From a technological point of view, the SwissTech, which was designed by the architects Richter Dahl Roccha & Associés SA from Lausanne, is a pioneer project. It rests on pillars, some of which function as geothermal probes and are equipped with sensors that allow further developing this technology with huge energy-saving potential. Particularly noteworthy is the west façade equipped with special dye solar cells, which were developed by Prof Grätzel at the EPFL and have been integrated into a building of this size for the first time. Regardless of the angle of light penetration, they reproduce plant photosynthesis and generate "green" electricity. Simultaneously, they protect the building from direct sunlight and reduce energy consumption from air conditioning.