The building opens itself to the panorama of Geneva, like an open hand, and generates a semi-private garden right at its foot. The garden is situated along a public promenade.
Project name: Students House. Lacroix Chessex
Location: Avenue de France 20-22, Genève
Tipology: Student House
Area: 10,485m2
Construction data: 05/2011 – 12/2012
Photos by: Radek Brunecky
The shape of the building is a broken bar having one long side aligned with the tracks of the railway. The facade consists of private balconies on the east and the large outdoor gangways (“coursives”) to the west. It expresses a superposition of big horizontal slabs which equally function as filters against the sun and noise. The height of the parapets varies depending on the angle of incidence coming from the noise of the passing trains. This principle enriches the building with a facade that progressively lightens itself to the sky.