LIN.ROBBE.SEILER
Housing Lancy
best architects 20 gold
multi-family homes
Place
Lancy, Switzerland
Photos
Joël Tettamanti / Rolf Seiler
Description
This project filled an empty plot in the
historic town of Lancy with a distinctive contextual attitude. On the side facing the road, the built façade features a subtle fold providing
harmony and connecting the two alignments of the neighbouring buildings. The
break in the cornice and the staggered windows and roofs strengthen the
fragmented perception of the façade, in keeping with the building diversity of
this urban environment. A small shopping arcade enhances the liveliness of this
former artery. On the courtyard side, the project drew inspiration from the
more chaotic, domestic development of the existing fabric, developing a folded
geometry of non-uniform terraces that make the most of regulatory
possibilities. In terms of both plan and cross-section, the apartment types were developed
based on the deformed geometry of past plots. The ground floor apartment is
structured around a spacious central living area connected to a private garden,
while the apartments on the upper levels are folded inwards and are connected
to different terraces. Lastly, a spacious attic is located under the four
folded sections of the roof, organised around a large chimney stack, the whole
of which is sculpted in visible concrete to achieve a brutalist expression.