Two months after gathering for the re-launch of the Swiss Alumni Group in Vancouver the gang reconvened for the first Café Scientifique of the year and the first in over five years. The weather was stunning and the venue offered beautiful views of the North Shore mountains.

The event was held on May 30, 2025 at the Creekside Community Recreation Centre in Vancouver’s Olympic Village and was attended by 19 people, including the Consul General of Switzerland in Vancouver Thomas Schneider who shared a few introductory words at the beginning of the evening.

Patrick Schilling, an EPFL Alumni and architect practicing in Vancouver spoke of his experience working with world-renowned Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron (H&dM) on the new Vancouver Art Gallery project that unfortunately was cancelled in November 2024. Patrick spoke of H&DM’s design processes, their pursuit of innovation, and their drive to leave no-stone unturned to create unique and remarkable buildings.

The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer period where most, if not all, of the attendees participated. Following this some intensive networking took place as for several alumni this was their first event ever. 

We would like to thank the Swiss Consulate in Vancouver who sponsored and promoted this event. With their support we were able to provide drinks and food for the attending alumni. The food consisted of cheese and charcuterie platters from Les Amis du Fromage (www.buycheese.com) and as always Swiss cheeses were included amongst the numerous cheeses!

Our next event will be an Apéro, on Thursday, July 29, starting at 6:00pm at Tap & Barrel on Granville Island. We hope to see a lot of our members there and will try to get a table on the deck overlooking False Creek!