Asbestos Diagnosis Prilly

Prilly: a peri-urban municipality in transformation facing asbestos risk

Prilly is a first-ring Lausanne municipality, directly adjacent to the city of Lausanne to the west. Its urban development, concentrated between the mid-1950s and the mid-1980s, has produced a dense built fabric of collective apartment buildings, individual villas and business premises that fall very largely within the period of maximum asbestos risk.

The Malley sector is at the heart of Prilly’s current transformation. A former industrial and railway district undergoing change, Malley is the subject of a large-scale urban development project, with the construction of new housing, public facilities and commercial spaces on the brownfield land of former industrial activities. This transformation generates an intense demand for asbestos diagnoses: the old industrial buildings to be demolished or converted, the railway infrastructure and the storage buildings constructed in the 1950s–1980s must all be diagnosed before any construction work begins.

Prilly’s residential districts, developed primarily between 1955 and 1985 along the road axes linking Lausanne to the western agglomeration, concentrate rental buildings and villas that correspond precisely to the most concerning construction period for asbestos. These buildings — standardised for collective apartment buildings, more individual for villas — share the systematic use of asbestos-containing materials characteristic of the 1960s–1975 period.

Prilly’s proximity to the major activity zones of the Lausanne agglomeration — the Malley industrial zone, the motorway approaches — has also produced some commercial and business buildings from the 1960s–1980s that add to the municipality’s asbestos risk profile.

Which buildings are concerned in Prilly?

Prilly presents two main built typologies, with a particularly high concentration in the asbestos risk period.

Residential buildings from the 1955–1985 period

Rental buildings constructed between 1955 and 1980 in Prilly’s residential districts constitute the most numerous category. These three-to-seven-storey buildings, often set back from roads with intermediate green spaces, present the typical configurations of collective construction of the period: vinyl tiles in apartments and common areas, fibre cement on facades, spandrel panels and balcony cladding, asbestos-cement ventilation ducts, boiler room and riser column lagging.

Buildings constructed in the 1975–1985 period are less systematically asbestos-containing than those from the 1960s–1975 period, but may contain smoothing renders, joint products and acoustic insulation under slabs containing asbestos. Investigation is necessary for each building.

Malley zone and industrial buildings

The Malley sector concentrates industrial, railway and logistics buildings constructed between the 1950s and the 1980s. These structures present typical industrial configurations: large-surface fibre cement sheet roofs and cladding, fibre cement panel interior partitions, industrial floor tiles, heating and process pipe insulation.

Demolition or conversion projects in the Malley sector require exhaustive diagnoses covering all buildings concerned. For total demolition projects, the pre-demolition report is mandatory and must cover the entire building.

Villas and single-family houses

Villas constructed between 1960 and 1980 in Prilly’s residential streets, less numerous than in outer-ring municipalities, present the standard materials of individual construction of the period: fibre cement roofing, vinyl tiles, pipe insulation.

Common asbestos-containing materials in Prilly

Prilly’s built fabric from the 1955–1985 period presents a range of materials representative of residential and industrial construction of those decades:

• Vinyl-asbestos floor tiles in apartments, common areas and offices
• Laying adhesives for vinyl tiles, generally black or brownish
• Fibre cement sheets on facades, spandrel panels and balcony cladding of residential buildings
• Fibre cement sheet roofs and cladding on industrial buildings and villas
• Sprayed coatings in underground car parks and collective boiler rooms
• Lagging on riser columns and collective heating networks
• Asbestos-cement ventilation ducts in kitchens and bathrooms of apartment buildings
• Acoustic insulation under concrete slabs in collective buildings
• Interior smoothing renders from the 1965–1975 period in apartments
• Facade joints and mastics in buildings constructed between 1960 and 1975

In the Malley sector, industrial buildings may present significant quantities of fibre cement on roofs and cladding, as well as process insulation specific to industrial uses.

Regulations applicable in Prilly

Prilly is located in the canton of Vaud. The pre-works asbestos diagnosis report (AvT) is a mandatory component of the building permit application file for any building predating 1991. This report must be prepared by a recognised FACH expert and must not be more than three years old at the time of submitting the file.

For projects in the Malley sector, the nature of the buildings concerned — industrial or mixed-use — often implies more complex diagnoses than for standard residential buildings. Total or partial demolition projects require a pre-demolition report covering the entire building, making it possible to quantify asbestos-containing waste and organise its disposal through approved channels.

Renovation operations on Prilly’s large residential developments, often within the framework of subsidised energy renovation programmes, must systematically include asbestos diagnosis as a preliminary step. Building owners who plan ahead for this step integrate any additional decontamination costs into the overall project budget.

Neighbouring communes served

We operate in Prilly and all neighbouring communes:

• Lausanne (Chailly, Borde)
• Renens
• Ecublens
• Romanel-sur-Lausanne
• Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne
• Jouxtens-Mézery

Frequently asked questions about asbestos diagnosis in Prilly

The Malley project involves the demolition of 1960s industrial buildings. What type of diagnosis is required?

For a total or substantial demolition, the pre-demolition report is required. This report covers the entire building — not only the zones directly affected by works — and aims to inventory all asbestos-containing materials present, quantify them and define the arrangements for their disposal. This report is more exhaustive than a standard pre-works report and generally involves a higher number of samples.

Our 1970s building in Prilly is subject to an energy renovation. Is the asbestos diagnosis included in Vaud cantonal subsidies?

The asbestos diagnosis is not directly included in cantonal energy renovation assistance programmes. However, it is a legal prerequisite for carrying out works on any building predating 1991. It is recommended to integrate it at the upstream stage of the subsidy application, so that its cost is clearly identified in the overall project budget.

My apartment in Prilly has vinyl floor tiles that are crumbling in places. Is this dangerous?

Vinyl tiles in good condition do not generally present a health risk if they are not disturbed. However, tiles that are crumbling may release asbestos fibres if they contain asbestos. It is advisable not to touch these tiles, not to sand or cut them, and to have a sample taken to determine their composition. If the presence of asbestos is confirmed and the tiles are degraded, a decontamination intervention may be necessary.

For a developer buying a 1975 building in Prilly to demolish and rebuild, when should the diagnosis be commissioned?

Ideally, the diagnosis should be commissioned during the due diligence phase before purchase, or at the latest immediately after acquisition. The results allow decontamination costs to be anticipated — which can be significant for a building from this period. Integrating it into the overall project budget from the outset is essential to avoid unpleasant surprises during the demolition phase.

Are commercial buildings constructed along the Route de Cossonay in Prilly in the 1970s affected by asbestos?

Yes. Commercial and business buildings constructed in the 1970s present the same asbestos risks as residential or institutional buildings from the same period: vinyl tiles in retail spaces and offices, fibre cement false ceilings, ventilation ducts, heating installation lagging. Prior diagnosis is mandatory before any renovation or transformation project on these premises.