Vevey Office Building by A/ZC and Architram

Paris-based Atelier Zündel & Cristea Architects (A/ZC) has shared with us their entry for a competition that seeks to densen the urban fabric of Vevey, a Swiss town on the north shore of Lake Geneva. The project is a collaboration with Swiss firm Architram.

Project Description from the Architects:

This competition is part of a communal initiative to strengthen the urban element at the western entrance to the city of Vevey. Located between two district highways, the site benefits from an advantageous position and a visibility without equal. There is a drawback to this location, however: the noise. Taking into account this significant constraint, we decided to design the building’s casing as a double skin.

Consequently, what might have remained a common white office building, gains originality from the way in which its facades are considered, constructed through the assembly of two types of prefabricated diamond-shaped panels. One type consists of a frame and glass panel, the other of a frame and aluminum panel. The molding effect created by the regularity of the panels, with their slight tilt and inclination, breaks the sight of a stacking of floors, altering and enhancing the urban scale of the building.

In regards to its actual construction, our project is based upon the idea of clear and efficient volumes, rendered pleasing by the meticulous work the outer shell and the central space will demand while striving to achieve their perfection.

Project Details:

Type: Office building, Competition 2011   
Location: Vevey (Switzerland)
Client: The Municipality of Vevey
Architects: Atelier Zündel & Cristea and Architram
Cost: 10 M€ (before tax)
Surface: 6,300 m²
Program: Offices and nursery