The building seems predestined for economical production in series. So as not to obstruct the view across Lake Geneva it tapers in plan from 16 m to just 5 m at Esplanade Square, which is at a higher level. The timber structure consists of 57 frames placed 3.8 m apart. If they had all been designed identically to bridge the maximum span the majority of the frames would be uneconomically over-sized. On this account the architects designed hybrid elements in which a timber core is covered with perforated steel plates: the external dimensions of the vertical posts in each element are identical, as the spans grow larger the steel sheets are made thicker, while the thickness of the timber core is reduced accordingly. In this way, despite the fact that the building’s cross section changes constantly along its length, all the roof and facade panels could be prefabricated in the same grid dimensions. Due to the staggered layout of the wall elements – at right angles to the load-bearing structure – the facade, which is angled in plan, looks quite different depending on the direction you view it from: like a continuous wall in which the pre-weathered short ends of the timber uprights blend with the similarly treated larch boards of the facade, whereas looking in the opposite direction the stepped perforated metal sheets establish a rhythm in the long building front flanking the covered promenade. Two passageways allow movement across the campus in an east-west direction and separate the three different functions into three distinct buildings under a single roof: the Montreux Jazz Café, a pavilion for art and sciences, and a gallery for technology and information.
