Rapin Saiz Architectes
Bosquets – renovation and extension of Produits Dentaires SA building (Phase I)
best architects 24
renovation and addition
Place
Vevey, Switzerland
Studio
Photos
Joël Tettamanti
Description
The Bosquets buildings were built in several
consecutive stages until 1964. Located in Vevey, on the site of the Peter
company, the inventor of milk chocolate, they host the workshops and
laboratories of the Produits Dentaires SA company, founded in 1940. The entire
project consists in the renovation of the main building, containing workshops
and laboratories, and the conversion and extension of the annex building into
an office space. The conversion and extension of the annex is now finished,
putting an end to the first phase of the project. The existing foundations of
the annex were reinforced in order to increase the scale and add two floors.
The annex was initially independent from the main building, but this new
project has been designed to connect it to its upper levels. By covering the
structure, the new envelope, made of aluminium and glass, considerably modifies
the original expression of the building. This mutation, necessary for
responding to energy efficiency and comfort issues, is also an opportunity to
modify the composition of the façade and accentuate the verticality of the
building, thus clarifying its position in a changing neighbourhood. To the west,
a new entrance was set up as an answer to the evolution of the former
industrial road, which is now serving a mixed-use area made up of housing,
offices and industrial buildings, and is gradually transforming into a
pedestrian walkway.