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challenge
Integrate a modern design interpretation into an extraordinary natural
setting
solution
This multi-purpose village hall would be located at the developing edge of
the community on a steep site beside a deep gorge that runs to Lake
Geneva. A river flows adjacent to the site. Principal David Bushnell,
AIA, proposed a village hall whose large, enveloping form honors the
Swiss vernacular and uses construction materials typical for this alpine
region.
The design is a strikingly modern interpretation, however. The
transparency of the upper part of the building connects it to the
natural surroundings, and an undulating roof responds to the distant
mountains. The swell of this roofline gives dramatic form to the
interior performance space, which was designed around both spatial and
acoustical requirements. The design celebrates this space, which opens
onto a large, podium terrace that also serves as a village gathering
spot. Reinforcing the importance of this place to the people who live
in it, the expansive entry and performance space take center stage.
Sky-lighted service and office space is sited at a lower level
that pushes into the adjacent hill.
Careful circulation planning provides for efficient pedestrian and
vehicular access on the steeply sloping site. Precipitation on the
roof moves into an unobtrusively placed cistern.
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Town of Chatel-St-Denis, Switzerland
Design Competition Honorable Mention, 1994
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