The original building by Lausanne-born George Épitaux was based on a classical Florentine villa, with an interior courtyard, grand entrance and a sweeping staircase leading up from the main entrance hall.
The new building in the south of the Centre William Rappard, by Jen Wittfoht of Stuttgart, Germany, achieves discretion, dialogue between modern and classic, efficiency, low energy standards and integration to the space (street, park and lake).