Sustainable construction or the hidden utility of the useless
Construction en pierre massive © Atelier Archiplein
Marlène Leroux, partner at Atelier Archiplein in Geneva, was invited by Prof. Emmanuel Rey’s studio at the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST) to talk about her work as an architect through a selection of projects. Entitled " Construction durable ou l'utilité cachée de l’inutile", her talk gave students the opportunity to discover projects that tackled, in particular, the construction and sustainability challenges of using solid stone.
Marlène Leroux is an architect who graduated from EPFL in 2007 and obtained her PhD in 2016. A lecturer at the Grenoble Urban Planning Institute (IUGA), she is currently teaching at the University of Geneva as Scientific Coordinator of the MAS Urbanisme EPFL-UNIGE. Based in Geneva since 2010, she is one of the two partners of Atelier Archiplein, originally founded in Shanghai in 2008.
A methodical, reasoned, and specific project approach is the foundation of Atelier Archiplein's practice. Its use of natural materials, particularly solid stone, is rooted in an age-old architectural culture. Far from a nostalgic past, it points towards a future alternative as one of the relevant responses to contemporary environmental issues.
The conference brought out these motivations in projects dealing with the judicious management of resources, the enhancement of know-how, care for the local context, or the use of solid stone, wood, or reuse, with the contemporary enrichment of the cultural dimension in architecture. Projects presented included the renovation of a Capucin convent in the Jura region, the redevelopment of the town center of Scionzier, and solid-stone housing in the commune of Plan-les-Ouates along with the rue de la Coulouvrenière in Geneva.
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.