This project of 150 housing units with a 320-space underground car park fell within the scope of a major Geneva project known as “La Chapelle”, of which a first step had just been completed at the time of the competition. Above all, based on an urban masterplan for the district imposing the position of the volumes and their maximum dimensions, the competition represented a morpho-typological challenge.
The project proposed a geometrical spacing of the plots, thus reducing the serial nature of the urban masterplan by varying the alignments and perceptions of the ensemble. This volumetric complexity increased the harmony of the district and enhanced the areas between buildings. While the urban masterplan provided side entrances, the proposal placed the entrances towards the district’s central esplanade. This layout combines with the cantilevers above the entrances and shared premises to strengthen the visual and functional relationship between the project and the esplanade, lending it a structuring, social role.
The geometric structure of the volumes enables all apartments to benefit from an angle, therefore avoiding single-sided orientation for the three rooms. All six apartments on each floor extend around a corner loggia, creating a distinction between kitchen/dining and living areas, while maintaining spaciousness.
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