Project: Bamboo
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Client: A&A Real Estate Grand-Pré
Program: Housing
Year: 2007 – 2011
Photographer: Federal Studio, Régis Golay

When one moves towards the “Coral House” from the rue de Chandieu, the impression of greatness of this new housing building is immediate. It hangs over a cantilever and protects the pavement; entreating the walkers into its “giant mouth”. The building is entirely glazed with large bay windows. These are covered by sun shadings made of three different tints: orange, red and aubergine, a flowering that softens the whole complex.

The seven storey building supports a double attic level containing duplex apartments. The facade of this part is discreet, made out of aluminium steel with a slight wave. It shadows off into the sky. The ground floor and the first level are attributed to commercial and work spaces. The rest welcomes 58 apartments, of four to six rooms each including their kitchens.

In the interior, all apartments display a common and regular system: a vast entrance hall distributes all rooms without any loss of corridor space.

The seven storey building contains 46 apartments for sale, each with four to six rooms. All are bi-oriented. As with the “Coral house”, the “Bamboo house” is covered by a double attic level with duplex apartments. Like the Coral, Bamboo respects all Minergie standards and speaks to its direct surroundings. The facade’s palette of green colours aims to echo the “green urban freeway” and the future school that will take its place in the park next to it. All apartments located on the upper floors have direct access to big balconies, while the ground floor level offers access to small gardens. The composition of the facade is of glass panels that can be moved and offer differing permeability for the users, according to desire.

*project completed under the name of group8, the Geneva-based design agency co-founded by Manuel Der Hagopian, Gregoire Du Pasquier and six fellow architects in the year 2000. The group parted ways in 2015.