Fruehauf, Henry & Viladoms

Description

The building site is located in the heart of the Boveresses district in the north of Lausanne, a district composed of several emblematic housing complexes from the 1970s. The project aims at integration into this context while maintaining a strong identity. The result is an urban morphology that takes up the clear-cut orientation of the surrounding urbanism by proposing an articulated volume with redans. Without seeking mimicry, the building creates a powerful link with its environment. Two reference levels define the project: The lower first floor level, facing south, hosts a school and after-school programmes as well as the main access to the dwellings, while the upper first floor entrances, facing north, are connected to a park covered with trees and a playground. The entrances lead to two generous circulation cores. Under the garden slab is a car park operating on half-levels. A canopy near the amenities provides access to the car park for residents of the building as well as the neighbourhood. The orthogonal plan is composed of a rigid system of north-south axes set 3.6m apart and a more flexible system of east-west walls. The intersection of the two systems generates a floor plan composed of rooms arranged in enfilade. This principle offers many cross-views into the dwellings through the large floor-to-ceiling doors. The system is reflected in the façade by numerous recesses that provide the apartments with varied orientations and a significant amount of natural light.