Multistory residential housing in several price categories has been built on the former sports fields and park to the east of Lake Geneva. The project was completed in three phases: Pré-Babel, Grange-Canal and most recently Le Corylus. The property is situated in one of the communities on the outskirts of Geneva, which are short of living space because of the steadily growing population in city. The new buildings follow the idea of focusing the density of housing to provide open green spaces and as many trees as possible.
The first building phase, Pré-Babel, consists of three buildings of three stories each, comprising 28 high-end condominiums. In the second phase, Résidence du Parc de Grange-Canal, three high-rise buildings of seven to nine stories each accommodate 80 standard condominiums and 50 subsidized apartments. The third phase, Corylus, is a four story building with 12 condominiums and four offices on the ground floor. The layout of the buildings ensures daylight and views of the park from several sides. The apartments all have covered balconies with glazed winter gardens. In some cases, duplex and penthouse apartments with terraces have been built on the roofs. The three phases are distinguished through differences in the design of the entrance halls and staircases. In Corylus, the end-to-end entrance halls with open, staggered staircases are illuminated from both sides. Light terrazzo floors and fair faced concrete contrast with the dark, oiled metal of the doors and balustrades. The atmosphere is complemented by light fixtures above the entrances and a vertical wall section along the flight of stairs painted in gold.
The composition of prefabricated, horizontal and vertical concrete elements gives the buildings a classical look. Horizontal gray bands of concrete are combined with yellow vertical elements of varying widths, echoing the color of the sandstone used in the city of Geneva. The yellow pigmented, concrete sandwich elements are thermally insulated. Dark windows of wood and metal and glazed balustrades lend rhythm to the façades. The shared architectural idiom gives the overall ensemble of different residential typologies a distinctive identity of its own.
