What can the Avanchet-Parc housing complex teach us today?
Giulia Marino is architect and researcher at EPFL. © DR
In this column, published in three regional dailies, researcher and architect Giulia Marino discusses how the Avanchet-Parc housing complex near Geneva can inspire future ecodistricts
The Avanchet-Parc housing complex in Vernier, on the outskirts of Geneva, has recently been added to the Swiss Federal Inventory of Heritage Sites of National Importance. With this designation, the post-World War II era estate joins the pantheon of exceptional sites recognized for their historical, architectural and societal significance.
Completed in 1977, Avanchet-Parc is very much the product of a culture where experimentation reigned. A new way of thinking about housing called for industrialized construction methods that dispensed with tired, uninspired prefabricated components. By exploring innovative strategies and urban forms, the Avanchet-Parc architects – Peter Steiger, Walter Maria Förderer and Franz Amrhein – unveiled a work of art.
Brimming with ideas
The complex is made up of singular architectural elements that coalesce into a true crescendo. Its open, asymmetrical layout unfurls from a center spine of buildings, earning it the nickname “the butterfly complex.” The masterful use of contrasts, angles, and indents economizes and creates space. Its color scheme plays with our powers of perception to inspire residents to identify with their housing and foster a sense of belonging. Its landscape elements are literally built into the land itself to create abundant, unique outdoor spaces.
This skillfully orchestrated symphony of architectural features is exactly what the Swiss government wanted to recognize with its designation. But more than just a heritage site, Avanchet-Parc also has plenty to contribute to modern-day practices. The complex was remarkably energy efficient by 1970s standards and found innovative approaches to public infrastructure, as evidenced by the stunning outdoor spaces. Instead of cars, for example, the complex contains a lush public park overflowing with different types of vegetation that aims to make the urban environment feel less dense, however unavoidable that may be. Today’s ecodistricts should take note.
Giulia Marino, architect and researcher at the Laboratory of Techniques and Preservation of Modern Architecture (TSAM), EPFL
- This article appears in the April 2023 issue of Habitat magazine, which is published by three local dailies – La Côte (Vaud Canton), Le Nouvelliste (Valais Canton) and Arcinfo (Neuchâtel Canton) – under a joint initiative between EPFL and ESH Médias to showcase the R&D being carried out at EPFL on advanced construction techniques.
