Owner:
Coopérative Immobilière du Personnel Fédéral (CIPEF)
(in collaboration with D. Démétriadés)
Date:
2000
The district made up of 80 four and three room apartments, of a gross total flooring area of 8,591 m2, is destined for Ecole Polytechnique Fédéral collaborators. The site is located at the extreme North of the campus grounds. Triangular in shape, it is limited on the East by a river on one side and hedged by a dense cordon of forest on another, on the West by a main road.
The complex is made up of a linear building along the access road and three fan-shaped buildings. Their ground floors are located a floor below. This difference of level is used to create a lower road with no cars across the gardens for pedestrians and local children.
The linear building includes, an underground car park with 130 spaces. Communal areas such as laundry facilities, bike and pram shed, meeting rooms, children's classrooms etc, are on the ground floor. Apartments are double-oriented. Access is over a twin-level metallic footbridge turning the pavement below into a sheltered walkway.
The curved buildings fan out to face the river and the forest. They are accessible by metallic footbridges. To the North, a large glass partition espouses the movement of the staircase.
The façade elements are prefabricated reinforced concrete sandwich panels. They include a highly insulating 10cm thick polystyrene layer. Window frames are in wood & metal and support insulating glass panes with reflective layer.