Operation Pestalozzi

Situation

Three owners and two architects determined to build to a uniform standard for different purposes (HCM housing and for sale as condominiums) – this could have been a recipe for insurmountable difficulties.

However, the project was carried out under excellent conditions, thanks to the overall management provided by the general contractor, and the definition of a program that was highly coherent in nature, up to and including the site where it was to be built:

in Petit Saconnex, in a pleasant, tree-lined, low-density neighborhood close to major, quiet transport links, the plots of land available for development call for quality construction, including both the image of the buildings and their construction methods.

Project

Compliance with modern requirements for housing construction. The project comprises seventy apartments divided into six housing units, themselves separated into two distinct building groups:

the first runs along rue Pestalozzi, completing the beginning of a building already constructed; the second, also attached to an earlier stage of construction, is located almost perpendicular to the end of the first stage.

The buildings have six and seven storeys respectively, plus a basement for a communal garage. These levels include the first floor and the attic, with each building crowned by a roof. The total SIA volume is 35,350 m3.

The general standard of quality defined for the construction corresponds to the generally accepted norm for this type of building, with some options left open for apartments intended for condominiums and differentiated choices for this type of housing compared with homes intended for rental (natural stone in communal areas, for example).

For the rest, the general characteristics of the buildings (facades, glazing, roofs, composition of partitions, etc.) are perfectly homogeneous and assert the particularities classically defined in contemporary construction. The organization of interior volumes takes into account the standards and recommendations applicable to HCM-class housing.

Access to the apartments is via vertical corridors that are aligned in relation to each of the buildings, allowing rooms to be arranged in a balanced way, often with a “night” and a “day” zone, while at the same time reducing the amount of common floor space, as landings and corridors are kept to a minimum.

This arrangement also contributes to the rational layout of the technical walkways, which benefit from the systematic and favourable location of bathrooms and kitchens. Exterior facilities consist mainly of parking spaces and accesses reserved for firefighters.