Import GENEVA closing event at Mies van der Rohe Pavilion

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On 14th of November the Barcelona Pavilion opened the doors to the architects participating in the two exhibitions of Cities Connection Project interchange. The forty selected architects spent the evening at the Pavilion to close the first phase of the Cities Connection Project, called _Import GENEVA. The second phase will take place in the SICLI Pavilion of Geneva in February 2015, when the Catalan architects will show their projects, under the title of _Export BARCELONA.

The closing event counted on the presence of the swiss Conseiller d’État, Antoni Hodgers; the Genevan cantonal architect, Francesco Della Casa; the head of the Barcelona City Council, Vicente Guallart; and the Director of Fundació Mies van der Rohe, Giovanna Carnevali, who dedicated a message of support to the project and to the European architecture.

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As founders Xavier Bustos and Nicola Regusci said, the aim of Cities Connection Project is for each event to be the catalyst for an ongoing dialogue between architects from the selected cities. “We imagine a future with a wide European network of connections between professionals and institutions, a neuronal system capable of generating a critical and open-minded vision about the projection of our cities”, Bustos and Regusci acknowledge. Last year, Cities Connection Project connected Barcelona to the Swiss region of Ticino with the theme “Architecture and Territory”. This year it has been the turn of Geneva and future editions are already planned Berlin, Zurich and Brussels.


Francesco Della Casa inaugura _Import GENEVA en el Arts Santa Mònica

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El arquitecto jefe del Cantón suizo de Ginebra, Francesco Della Casa, ha inaugurado esta tarde la exposición _Import GENEVA en el claustro del Arts Santa Mònica, en Barcelona. Bajo el título “Geneva collective housing”, el arquitecto cantonal ha hecho un repaso por la historia de la vivienda colectiva y social en Ginebra, a través de algunos de sus proyectos más emblemáticos. El centenar de asistentes que ha acudido al evento también ha podido disfrutar de la exposición _Import GENEVA, que se puede ver hasta el 23 de noviembre en la Sala Balcó del Arts Santa Mónica.

Della Casa también se detuvo para explicar los veinte proyectos ginebrinos que han sido seleccionados para participar en la muestra _Import GENEVA y que proponen nuevas soluciones tipológicas en torno a la vivienda. El acto también ha contado con con la presencia de Rolf Seiler, presidente de la Fédération des Architectes Suisses (FAS), Barbara Tirone, coordinadora de la Maison de l’Architecture y Josep Font del Departament de Cultura de la Generalitat de Catalunya.

La exposición _Import GENEVA se enmarca dentro del Cities Connection Project, que conecta la arquitectura de una ciudad europea con la de Barcelona a través de un intercambio de sus arquitectos más destacados. El objetivo final de la iniciativa es que cada edición sea sólo el inicio de un diálogo continuado entre la arquitectura de las ciudades elegidas. “Nos imaginamos un futuro con una amplia red europea de conexiones entre profesionales e instituciones, un sistema de neuronas capaz de generar una mirada crítica y abierta sobre la proyección de nuestras ciudades”, confiesan Bustos y Regusci.

Next stop, GENEVA

La segunda edición del Cities Connection Project finalizará con la exposición _Export BARCELONA, que tendrá lugar del 5 al 26 de febrero de 2015, cuando los 20 arquitectos catalanes seleccionados expongan sus trabajos en el Pabellón SICLI de Ginebra, gracias a la colaboración entre Cities Connection Project y la Maison de l’Architecture.

La exposición _Import GENEVA abrirá sus puertas hasta el 23 de noviembre

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El estreno de la muestra de arquitectura _Import GENEVA “Building Geneva_Projects versus challenges” ha contado con la presencia de más de doscientos asistentes; entre arquitectos catalanes, ginebrinos, autoridades, profesionales del sector y amantes de la arquitectura. “Ha sido fantástico el encuentro , creemos que esto cambiará totalmente la relación entre ellos y con la ciudad”, ha asegurado el comisario de la exposición Xavier Bustos. La muestra es un conjunto de 20 proyectos de vivienda colectiva realizados en los últimos diez años por arquitectos de Ginebra y se podrá ver hasta el 23 de noviembre en la Sala Balcó del Arts Santa Mónica.

_Import GENEVA se enmarca dentro de la segunda edición del Cities Connection Project que, huyendo de una arquitectura mediática, pretende ser un escaparate de la arquitectura funcional y comprometida con la realidad social que se hace hoy en día. El proyecto, impulsado por los arquitectos Nicola Regusci y Xavier Bustos, nació en 2013 con el deseo de establecer una red de conexiones culturales entre Barcelona y la ciudad invitada. “El objetivo es que los arquitectos exploren nuevas miradas con las que observar nuestras ciudades, establezcan lazos profesionales y compartan su visión sobre el desarrollo urbano”, ha explicado el cofundador de Cities Connection Project, Nicola Regusci.

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Esta segunda edición del Cities Connection Project concluirá con el evento _Export BARCELONA en Ginebra en febrero de 2015, dentro del cual la exposición “Social Housing in Urban Context” mostrará 20 proyectos de vivienda social realizados por arquitectos catalanes.

20. Social housing in Carouge by Frundgallina Architectes FAS SIA

La Fontenette, in Carouge, hosted since the 1950s ten buildings with 120 apartments. Despite obvious signs of decay, this complex still has interesting features, thanks to the many green areas and to the presence of beautiful trees.

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Project name: Social housing in Carouge. Frundgallina Architectes FAS SIA

Location: Route de Veyrier 46-58, 1227 Carouge

Tipology: Collective housing

Area: 34,400 m2

Construction data: 2008-2018

Photos by: Milo Keller

The project reinterprets the former construction’s planning principles, which can be described as living in a park. Seven new compact buildings are freely disposed in-between the existing trees, which are preserved. They define quality outdoor spaces, providing residents great visual relationships with both buildings and landscape.

19. Three buildings of collective housing by Lopes & Périnet-Marquet Architectes EPFL

The project is part of the Localized Area Plan (LAP) route de la Chapelle, which is itself part of the master plan La Chapelle-les-Sciers. These plans establish the principles for lay-out, seting-up and size of buildings.

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Project name: Three buildings of collective housing. Lopes & Périnet-Marquet Architectes EPFL

Location: La Chapelle – Lancy, Geneva

Tipology: Collective Housing

Area: 12,500 m2

Construction data: 2012-2014

Photos by: Emmanuel Périnet-Marquet

In view of a collective appropriation of the exterior space the ground floors are slightly raised with respect to the adjacent land. Compliance with a global Minimum Energy Concept will be achieved through different systems integrated in the project such as solar panels on the roof and an efficient thermal insulation.

18. Sustainable social housing in Cressy by D. Liengme Architectes and Baillif-Loponte & Associés SA

This project is the result of an architectural competition organized by a communal foundation. These two ecologically high-performing buildings are part of the new district of Cressy, on the outskirts of Geneva, which has developed substantially from a restrictive urbanization policy.

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Project name: Sustainable social housing in Cressy. D. Liengme Architectes and Baillif-Loponte & Associés SA

Location: Cressy, Bernex, Genève

Tipology: Collective housing

Area: 4,860 m2

Construction data: 2012

Photos by: Johannes Marburg Photography

Both buildings, allowing space for 24 apartments, are connected by a partially underground parking lot, thereby benefiting from natural lighting.

The apartment typology was strongly influenced by the orientation of the buildings. The rooms are on the east side, while the living spaces and kitchen have large west- facing balconies. In the middle, spacious, light-filled entrance halls give way to the living areas, which create a sense of space.

17. Housing and Nursery Rue du Cendrier by J. Jaccaud Architectes and S. Bates Architectes

The project makes a mediation between two urban conditions: the urban fabric of rue Rousseau and its significant buildings, particularly the school built by P. Barras and A. Camoletti and the Mont Blanc / Cendrier Centre built by MJ Saugey.

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Project name: Housing and Nursery Rue du Cendrier. J. Jaccaud Architectes and S. Bates Architectes

Location: 6, rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1201 Genève

Tipology: Affordable housing and nursery

Area: 3,392.5 m2

Construction data: 2009 – 2011

Photos by: Joël Tettamanti, David Grandorge and Alain Granchamp

These two constructions are reconciled with the new building that absorbs several spatial and volumetric elements, the base and the faceted forms of the Saugey building and the continuity of the street and the tripartite ordering of of the schools façade. In this way, like a puzzle made up of different parts carefully assembled, a new building emerges, specific to its context and yet strangely universal in character.

16. La Chapelle by BonhoteZapata Architectes SA

This project is a prize-winning proposal of a limited entry competition organized in 2009. It contains 42 subsidized apartments from 3 to 5 rooms (1 to 3 bedrooms) corresponding in size and in cost to the strict criteria of the Genevan administration regarding social housing.

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Project name: La Chapelle. BonhôteZapata Architectes SA

Location: La Chapelle, Genève.

Tipology: Social housing

Area: 4,219.70 m2

Construction data: June 2012 – June 2014

Photos by: Johannes Marburg

The building is dressed in tinted sheet zinc with thermo lacquered aluminum coverings. It has received the “label Minergie ©”. Loggias are included in the volume to assure the best habitability and make them a real additional room to each flat.

15. Inter-generational living and village centre by DAR Architects SA

This creation of an inter-generational living and public area aims to reinforce social and communal links at the heart of the village of Meinier.

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Project name: Inter-generational living and village centre. DAR Architects SA

Location: Meinier, Geneva

Tipology: communal housing + public building

Area: 14,130 m2

Construction data: 2010 – 2012

Photos by: Thomas Jantscher

The brief by the municipality is to provide social housing for families, the elderly and people with mobility issues as well as a community space with a nursery, creche, games library, a restaurant, one-stop social and medical advice shop, a multi-purpose hall, an after-school hall, a social hall for the elderly, a shop and the communal bunker.

14. “Du-Bois-Melly” Building by Bugna

The project proposes, despite its intentionally contempory language, to complete the circle of this 19th Century block with a building that respects the different alignments and volumes of its neighbors.

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Project name: “Du-Bois-Melly” Building by Bugna

Location: Geneva

Tipology: Collective housing

Area: 3,450 m2

Construction data: 2008 – 2009

Photos by: Didier Jordan

The facades are built with pre-cast concrete elements that reflect the mineral character of the adjacent historical buildings. The originality is that these facades offer a warm rust-stipled effect that was achieved by sprinkling an orange oxide on the surfaces of the anthracite pre- cast concrete elements.