Residential Complex near Geneva
- Jakob Schoof
The British architects Peter and Allison Smithson described access balconies as "streets in the sky". Their counterparts can be found in the terraces and balconies that architects Bonhôte Zapata use to structure the residential complex they designed for a building association in Chêne-Bougeries near Geneva. They are literally "squares in the sky" and "rooms in the sky". Five large and open concrete platforms measuring 80 square metres on each level serve as circulation and common spaces for recreational and other uses. In addition, nearly all of the 49 apartments feature generous private balconies. A translucent shell made of pre-weathered fir cladding envelopes both heated interiors and terraces. This emphasizes the homogeneous overall shape of the residential complex and its six houses, slightly offset, with pitched roofs and extremely deep floor plans. A closer look at the facade reveals what kind of rooms are located behind it. The living rooms and bedrooms feature recessed windows with sills only slightly raised above the floors and bronze-coloured, anodized aluminium folding shutters. The balconies are equipped with alternating openings either reaching from floor to ceiling or two-thirds thereof and laminated safety glass railings. The private balconies along the southwestern facade can be shaded by textile roller blinds fixed on the interior side of the timber cladding.
