The WHO headquarter stands on the heights of Geneva, the municipal boundary of Prégny-Chambésy and Grand Saconnex, in the neighborhood of international organizations near Geneva-Cointrin Airport. Today it consists of ten buildings of very disparate quality. After 58 years on the current site of its headquarters in Geneva, WHO has undertaken an extensive renovation project. The purpose of the competition is to build a new building in which the staff will be transferred during the renovation, without disruption to the staff and operations of WHO.
The Spirulina Fountain displaces the culture of landscape architecture and gardening towards contemporary issues of land and urban farming in restrained areas. The fountain constitutes a hybrid, fusing the production basins of the intense blue-green algae with contemplative Italian gardens of the 16th century. More specifically, the form and dimensions of the fountain quotes the water cascades of the Villa Aldobrandini built in 1550 in Frascati, 20 km southeast of Rome.
After the removal of border limit clearances only 5m x 9m are left overin this small steep lot at the vineyard at Dielsdorf. With a maximum of 83 m2above-ground level living, this lot has long been considered unbuildable. A classical residential house with solid outer walls, conventional access staircase and traffic area has no space on this site.
The mountains have the power to call for feelings of fascination and fear at the same time. Switzerland has a strong tradition of observing the Alps, living with them, hiding inside them. The awe and the anxiety that this monumental landscape appeals is reflected in the writings of Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, one of the most important Swiss writers. His novels, Derborence, describes the massive rock fall that covered the pastures of the valley of Lizerne in 1714. Antoine, the main character, survives seven weeks under the rocks before he manages to reach his village, and life.
the village of saxon, situated on the rhône plain, lacked a meeting-place for the various events and celebrations that punctuate the year. the municipal authority chose the centre of the village as the site for a car park, community hall and public open space alongside the church.
OVO[i] project was a challenge of a deeply restless client, which proposed the construction of a space to install one sculpture from Rui Chafes – Semente[ii]. This room is in the basement of his home in Fideris, located in the Swiss Alps.
This ‘Trojan Egg’ is the first stage of the project OVO. The purpose of this wooden Egg is to create a void, to unveil a new dimension and through it potentiate mystery. Mystery is a condition that is very close to disappear from our civilization. This value is for us one of the main reasons of life, and therefore the Egg is the dimension we choose to express it.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) selected 3XN to design its new headquarters after a multi-stage, international architectural competition that concluded earlier this year. The IOC and 3XN have now released the first renderings of the project, which is located on a 24,000sm site on the banks of Lake Geneva in Lausanne, Switzerland. The new building will bring together 600 employees currently working in disparate offices throughout the city.
The slight rotation compared to the long volumes of the terraced houses and its polygonal form give the tower-like monolithic apartment building a stronger autonomy, thereby benefiting its relationship with the two neighbouring buildings on the other side of the street. This creates a village environment, an expanded street space towards which the building entrances are aligned.
The kindergarden is a solitary building on a green field. Only paths and walls connect the new building to landscape in order to create a subtle and strong texture of reference points within the site.
In 2011, Zurich-based architects Frei + Saarinen won the competition to replace a “front building” that was damaged by a fire. The front-building is so called because it is attached to a triple gymnasium that is also used for events such as concerts, exhibitions, carnival, marriages (with up to 1000 guests), etc.
email
Facebook
Twitter
RSS Feed
