Starting of the RHODANIE URBAINE design studio in Geneva

Faced with the many consequences caused by urban sprawl, the architectural project is expected to play a central role in the search for alternatives to reorient the development inward, to densify the built fabric near public transport and to generate sustainable construction methods. From a perspective taking into consideration optimized environmental, socio-cultural and economical aspects, the development of sustainable neighborhoods, which are all at once dense, mixed, and attractive, represents an architectural challenge in terms of urban morphology, contextual integration, functional programming and building typology. Through an approach at different scales of intervention – from urban design to constructive detail – the studio will aim to analyze, explore, and experiment the issues specific to this search for the contribution of architecture to the sustainability of changing urban territories.

For this 2019-2020 edition, the different phases of the project's development will be part of an exploratory approach to the evolution of neighborhoods in transition located directly on the banks of the Rhône. At a time of unprecedented convergence between the objectives of densification within the built environment and risk management for flood prone areas opens an era of reconciliation between the river and the urban areas it passes through. In this context, undervalued sites to date have proved particularly suitable for urban regeneration and the creation of new sustainable neighborhoods. Multiple urban and architectural challenges question the proper project approach to adopt for the development of this new fluvial neighborhood.

In this respect, the studio will explore through the architectural project the multiple issues and potentialities of such an evolution. A strong attention will be paid to the issue of urban housing and relevant reflections on public spaces considering the specific characteristics of the site will also be part of the process.