The ensemble on Boulevard des États-Unis in Lyon is to be a compact development comprising four clay buildings. A shared base separates the ensemble from the nearby street space and hints at its internal organisation. The auditorium opens onto a spacious square directly onto the boulevard, providing access to the site.

The auditorium is a cubic, homogeneous wooden structure with glass infill panels. Inside, however, there are two massive clay structures. They are separated from each other and symbolically connected by a joint in the form of a vertical opening. At a distance from the clay structures, the façade combines the two structures and the space between them into a single complex. The zone between them is intended to be a place for interaction and encounters.

Clay construction has a long tradition in Lyon. This is partly because clay from Lyon is of very high quality and also available in large quantities. In buildings, it acts as a magnificent store of heat or cold. This storage is directly activated by means of an embedded pipe system using a geothermal heat pump. In order to achieve a good U-value in the clay cores, the clay is additionally enriched with straw. A sturdy timber structure supports the porous, insulation-optimised clay and spans the large halls. The porous surface is also very beneficial for the acoustics in the lecture hall. The buffer zone is unheated, but is warmed up in winter by the large window areas and can be shaded in summer and cooled by natural ventilation with a ground register. The finely structured façade is intended to make the size of the building readable on a human scale.