Towards a rational use of resources
Couvent capucin, Jura, France © Atelier Archiplein / 11h15
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: Vers un usage raisonné des ressources", her talk allowed students 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 lecture highlighted these motivations under three themes: Colonnade, illustrated by the redevelopment project for Scionzier's town center; Crossing and Lightness, discussed around the solid-stone housing project on rue de la Coulouvrenière in Geneva; and Massivity, presented through the four solid-stone housing buildings in the commune of Plan-les-Ouates.
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.