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Architects: LOCALARCHITECTURE
- Year: 2014
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Photographs:Mathieu Gafsou
Located on the border of the city of Lausanne, between the residential area of Chailly and the agricultural estate of Rovereaz, the new building stands on a steep plot planted with trees. To the south, the building benefits from an outstanding panoramic view on the Lake Geneva and on the Alps. Leaning along Rovereaz Road, the building displays a singular architectural shape determined by the triangular plot.
On the street side, facing north, the building reveals a relatively closed facade, with a verticality enhanced by the undulations of the facade material. A slight fold interrupts the facade’s rhythm and underlines the bending towards Rovereaz Road. The glazed staircase leading to the apartments partitions freely the volume of the building.
The south facade offers long glazed and horizontal openings toward the landscape. The loggias alternate with the terraces as exterior extensions of the apartments.
At the sharpest angle of the plot’s westerly side, the thin and narrow sidewall rises vertically from the slope and asserts a strong and sculptural presence towards the city of Lausanne.
Each apartment benefits from a distinct layout. The plans’ geometry results in fluid spaces and multiple perspectives. The serving areas are displayed along the staircase on the street side, thereby protecting the living rooms and the bedrooms oriented toward the garden and the landscape.
The building’s structure consists of exposed concrete slabs and load-bearing walls. The raw concrete stairwell hollows out the volume and generates a cavity that follows the circulation leading to the apartments. The building’s facade is covered with a corrugated skin that alludes to the agricultural past of the estate of Rovereaz. The surface of the Eternit facade panels is protected against bad weather by a potato-juice-based coating. The more sophisticated sliding windows are made of stained spruce wood. They follow the horizontal divisions of the facade panels.
