Chêne-Bourg Complex

The project has an inescapable singular vocation. It sets the visual reference on the intermediate scale of the Chêne-Bourg CEVA station complex, but also on the more distant scale of the city of Geneva. Its vertical morphology gives it this exceptionality which it assumes with a timeless character, and almost without formal expression. However, subtle angulations which produce trompe l'oeil effects and the total absence of 'orthogonality', perceptible but not clearly manifest, elegantly give the building its morphological authority and a profound beauty, an unmistakable feature of the best architecture. This 'placid beauty' is a characteristic of Geneva, and so this landmark is linked to its culture and landscape.

Its strong geometric and constructive rigour allows for an efficient and flexible building in its building programme. It is repetitive and systematic, but has a thermodynamic sensibility that is not expressed in an obvious way. It is civic and links up with the city and the collective space, freeing up the ground floor as much as possible for commercial uses, thus linking the building to the public space of Place de La Graviere and the Jardin de la Tour.