“Constructions” lecture
Batellerie, Les Jeunes Rives, Neuchâtel © frundgallina architectes
Jean-Claude Frund, partner at frundgallina architectes in Neuchâtel, was invited by Prof. Emmanuel Rey’s studio at the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST) to talk about his work as an architect through a selection of projects. Entitled "Constructions", his lecture gave students the opportunity to discover a variety of projects in different contexts and scales.
Jean-Claude Frund is an architect who graduated in 1994. In 2000, together with his partner Antonio Gallina, he founded frundgallina architectes in Neuchâtel. Their projects, rich and varied in terms of program and scale, range from major public spaces to single-family homes. The office attaches great importance to the urban and architectural quality of its interventions in built and landscaped environments. Through careful analysis of context, the use of natural and local materials, and meticulous execution, frundgallina’s practice focuses on creating high-quality spaces for occupants.
The conference highlighted these motivations through no fewer than nine projects organized around issues related to construction in general, as well as more specific challenges inherent to each project. Ranging from a vacation home on the ridges of the Jura to a former housing estate densified with subsidized apartment buildings in Carouge, and including pavilions recently designed for the Jeunes-Rives park in Neuchâtel, the diversity of the projects was presented to students through a precised selection of plans and sections, the architect’s primary tools.
Resonating with the issues addressed in the studio RELIEFS URBAINS, the conference allowed students to put into perspective the didactic approach, from the urban project to the construction detail as a relevant process for the transformation of urban territories in transition.