Personeni Raffaele Architectes EPFL HES SIA

Bernex City Hall

Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe

BERNEX CITY HALL

Personeni Raffaele Schärer Architects

YEAR
2013

LOCATION
Bernex, Switzerland

CATEGORY
Town & City Hall

Text description provided by architect.

The City of Bernex is located in the urban ring of Geneva.

Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe
Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe
Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe

Under the pressure of real estate development, it is undergoing expansion and evolving its status as a city from a place with rural character into an urban area.

The new city hall building completes the administrative center of Bernex. It creates with the two existing buildings, a public plaza.

This space is dedicated to organizing numerous activities such as official ceremonies, markets, festivals, and so on.

Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe
Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe
Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe

The building is integrated into a north facing slope. It is organized on three levels, all of which are directly linked to the exterior spaces. Its polygonal shape creates precise relationships with the context and eludes any direct opposition.

The architectural language expressed by a simple glass curtain wall prolongs the establishment of continuity within the site. The layering of three slightly misaligned levels produces a vibration that underlines their autonomy and relationship with the terrain.

Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe
Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe

This strategy breaks down the frontal presence of the façades and offers endless new perspectives. A phenomenon of scale reduction of the building speaks to the surrounding rural buildings.

The program is comprised of administrative surfaces, some meeting rooms, the council room, city archives and an exhibition space.

Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe
Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe

A particular focus on sustainability was applied to the project throughout the process, from its compact design, to the implementation of program synergies, to its careful execution of details.

As well as its reuse of rain water and production of electricity with a solar plant. The construction was awarded the Minergie P label.

Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe


Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe
Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe
Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe
Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe
Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe


Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe
Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe
Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe
Bernex City Hall
© Roland Halbe


Bernex City Hall
Floor Plan
Bernex City Hall
Floor Plan
Bernex City Hall
Floor Plan
Bernex City Hall
Floor Plan
Bernex City Hall
Site Plan

Bernex City Hall
Detail


Bernex City Hall
Elevation
Bernex City Hall
Elevation

Personeni Raffaele Architectes EPFL HES SIA
T +41 21 3118445
Personeni Raffaele Architectes EPFL HES SIA
Rue Saint-Pierre 3, 1003 Lausanne, Switzerland