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Architects: STENDARDO MENNINGEN ARCHITECTES
- Area: 300 m²
- Year: 2016
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Manufacturers: Associés Successeurs des Ateliers Casai, Bieber, Tschopp Charpente
Text description provided by the architects. Situated in a slight slope, the building is located in the center of a public park surrounded by several communal buildings. The image of the East entrance of the site has been requalified by the new construction whereas to the West, bleachers connect the building to the new esplanade.
The new community center located in the Châtelaine-Balexert seeks to preserve a logical continuity and preservation of the existing landscape as well as construct synergies with the surrounding buildings. This functional and spatial continuity along with the existing topography allows for an optimal distribution of the project and its spatial requirements. This strategy ensures a balance between the volumetric needs and the shape of the terrain shape forming a direct relationship.
The volume of the new community center twists and folds to satisfy the requirements of the site and allows for a natural openness towards the beautiful surrounding landscape. The new building thus increases the relationship between the interior and exterior by guaranteeing natural light optimal quality of the internal flow and movement. The spatial distribution expands and is no longer akin to the traditional corridor but becomes a space in its own right allowing for natural interaction.
The single-leveled building facilitates the connections and fluidity of the circulation, taking into consideration the needs of people with reduced mobility. To achieve this, the ground floor has two core areas on either side located at the end of each activity rooms.
The roof of the building has 4 sides. The front cover of the main entrance offers a protected area. Access to the technical rooms located in the basement can be reached from the outside, retaining its functional independence. The office of the educators and community center administrators are located near the entrance.
The new structure seeks to reflect a contemporary public building through its articulated volume as well as through its wooden structure.
Product Description.- The façade of the building is composed of wood. The old public buildings on the outskirts of the new building are also made of wood. We have therefore chosen a form of continuity with the existing structure but with a contemporary expression.
This strategy enabled to have the wooden structure executed in a workshop while the masonry work took place, resulting in efficient and timely construction of the building.
The choice of the cladding is carried on a raw larch with applied protection with the objective to have the natural wooden grey shade prevail over the artificial grey underneath. This solution avoids differences in shades due to the different orientations of the façades.
Finally, the cladding of the Maison de Quartier is clad with slabs of different thicknesses so as to give a vibration while the pavilion adjacent, serving as a refreshment bar for the summer events, is covered with the same cladding but with an identical thickness, reinforcing are monolithic aspect.
