A pattern for a glass facade in geneva
Subtle elegance, transparency and creative architecture.
If you look up at the intersection of Rue de l’Athénée and Rue de Contamines in the Champel district, you will see an unusual building façade, covered with virginia creeper and topped with a glass extension with colorful patterns. This project, carried out from 2017 to 2018 by the firm Architectures Jucker, makes subtle and creative use of glass as an exterior material.
Case study.
This is a development project for a floor formerly occupied by attics and laundry rooms and the creation of terraces with penthouses. The urban complex in question is made up of three buildings with a gross surface area of 1300m2.
The special feature of these buildings, which date from the beginning of the 20th century, is that they are partly covered with a virginia creeper (Ampelopsis) that the owners have always wanted to keep, and have also managed to convince their tenants to do the same.
It quickly became apparent that this new façade at the top of the building should be in keeping with this identity, without extending the existing greenery but with a subtle reference to the theme of plants.
Glass was chosen to maintain this effect of lightness and transparency, introducing a plant motif to create continuity with the existing façade. The cut-out design is enclosed between two sheets of glass. The color is not the green expected from the theme, but rather the light orange that is the original color of the facade coatings. A true artistic intention, the glass allows for the play of light and reflections to bring the building to life.
In addition to its aesthetic contribution, this custom-made glass facade displays remarkable technical performance. Under the glass envelope, 25 cm of thermal insulation ensures excellent energy efficiency, while the reduced thickness of the glass facing preserves the fineness of the whole. Glass is a very topical material with excellent durability, architecture is free, transparent, reflective, but it is a cold material, which must often be softened with color.
Whether it is engraved patterns, screen printing or colored inlays, the use of glass as a medium for architectural expression offers an infinite field of innovation. This can be seen in particular in the construction of the Vuitton Foundation by F. Gehry and its 13,500m2 of curved glass panels that form the building envelope.
Architecture Jucker has also created another glass facade along these lines for the Patiño Foundation: student accommodation on Avenue Aubert in the south of the same district with a facade made entirely of glass elements of different colors, thus exploring another facet of the artistic potential of this material, and winning the Bilan de l’Immobilier award in 2018.
A material of the future that can be customized to infinity.
To find out more:
Project address: Rue de l’Athénée 31-33-35, 1206 Geneva
Architectural firm: Architectures Jucker SA (Carouge)