Residential and Office Building
Chêne-Bourg, Geneva, Switzerland · 2020
Photo · Philippe Ruault
A precedent for high-rise residential design utilizing continuous perimeter balconies and floor-to-ceiling glazing to maximize transparency, natural light, and semi-outdoor living space.
- What we like about this project
- The extreme thinness of the horizontal floor plates and the lack of heavy vertical corner columns, maximizing corner views.
Materials
- glass
- aluminum
- concrete
- corrugated-metal
Visual identifiers
- continuous-balconies
- floor-to-ceiling-glazing
- horizontal-slabs
- transparent-facade
- high-rise-tower
Style tags
- rationalist
- high-tech
- minimalist
- functionalist
Visual tags
- residential-tower
- office-building
- transparency
- balcony-envelope
- urban-density
- swiss-architecture
- Geometry
- A tall, rectangular high-rise volume defined by continuous horizontal floor plates that project outward, creating deep perimeter balconies wrapped in floor-to-ceiling glazing.
- Facade system
- Glazed curtain wall with sliding glass doors, fronted by continuous concrete balcony slabs and delicate metal railings.
- Structural guess
- Reinforced concrete column-and-slab structure with cantilevered floor plates.
- Spatial scale
- A multi-story residential and office tower rising approximately 19 stories, contrasting with the lower-scale surrounding urban fabric.
- Lighting
- Bright, direct midday sunlight casting sharp shadows beneath the projecting balcony slabs, highlighting the reflective qualities of the glass facade.
- Atmosphere
- Bright, airy, and highly rational, emphasizing structural lightness against a clear blue sky.
- Environmental context
- Situated at an urban intersection in Chêne-Bourg, bordered by low-rise commercial structures, construction barriers, and pedestrian infrastructure.
- Spatial experience
- The building presents an exceptionally light, transparent, and open presence to the surrounding streetscape, with the deep balconies acting as a buffer zone between interior living spaces and the city.
- Composition rhythm
- A rigorous vertical stack of identical horizontal bands, broken only by a slight shift in glazing patterns on the lower commercial levels.
- Style reading
- High-tech structural rationalism with a focus on spatial generosity and environmental transparency.
- Program
- Mixed-use residential and commercial office tower
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture
- Materials
- glass, aluminum, concrete, corrugated-metal
- Visual identifiers
- continuous-balconies, floor-to-ceiling-glazing, horizontal-slabs, transparent-facade, high-rise-tower
- Style tags
- rationalist, high-tech, minimalist, functionalist
- Visual tags
- residential-tower, office-building, transparency, balcony-envelope, urban-density, swiss-architecture
- Geometry
- A tall, rectangular high-rise volume defined by continuous horizontal floor plates that project outward, creating deep perimeter balconies wrapped in floor-to-ceiling glazing.
- Facade system
- Glazed curtain wall with sliding glass doors, fronted by continuous concrete balcony slabs and delicate metal railings.
- Structural guess
- Reinforced concrete column-and-slab structure with cantilevered floor plates.
- Spatial scale
- A multi-story residential and office tower rising approximately 19 stories, contrasting with the lower-scale surrounding urban fabric.
- Lighting
- Bright, direct midday sunlight casting sharp shadows beneath the projecting balcony slabs, highlighting the reflective qualities of the glass facade.
- Atmosphere
- Bright, airy, and highly rational, emphasizing structural lightness against a clear blue sky.
- Environmental context
- Situated at an urban intersection in Chêne-Bourg, bordered by low-rise commercial structures, construction barriers, and pedestrian infrastructure.
- Spatial experience
- The building presents an exceptionally light, transparent, and open presence to the surrounding streetscape, with the deep balconies acting as a buffer zone between interior living spaces and the city.
- Composition rhythm
- A rigorous vertical stack of identical horizontal bands, broken only by a slight shift in glazing patterns on the lower commercial levels.
- Style reading
- High-tech structural rationalism with a focus on spatial generosity and environmental transparency.
- Program
- Mixed-use residential and commercial office tower
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture