Vernets Tower
Geneva, 2018-2024

The general organization of the Quai des Vernets site is determined by the layout of two large residential blocks oriented according to the main elements of the site: the Arve for one and the route des Acacias for the other. This arrangement is completed on the François-Dussaud - Hans-Wilsdorf crossroads by an activity building and, on the Arve side, by the housing tower at the point where the shadow cast by such a construction is not pejorative. With a reduced number of elements, the urban framework of the site is established. The tower frames the southern front of the Baud-Bovy Park, on the other side of the Arve, and confirms the anchoring of the project towards the center of the city of Geneva. It is also the sign of the new identity of the Acacias-Vernets district. By its proportions, it resonates with the nearby television tower on the opposite bank of the Arve river. The façade is designed in prefabricated concrete elements. The structural facade is composed of massive structutal vertical columns which experiment the descent of the loads of this high building. The large crossing entrance hall is the main reference space of the building.
The rationality of the typical plan ensures a diversity of housing typologies. The project meets the objectives of sustainable development and environmental exemplarity thanks to the compactness of the built volume.

Open competition: 1st Prize
Client : SwissLife
Collaboration: Atelier Decombes Rampini
Construction company: Losinger Marazzi SA
Project manager: Ruben Sousa
Project team:
Cindy Barraud, Philippe Herkommer, David Viladomiu, Constanta Lupu,
Loris Thévenoz, Nuno Sousa, Mathias Helfenstein, Thomas Gobet,
Ruben Gutierrez, Anastasia Skorik