Berrel Kräutler Architekten Berrel Kräutler Architekten

Administration Building OASI Geneva

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Administration Building OASI Geneva

Administration Building OASI Geneva

The original administration building of the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO) on Avenue Edmond-Vaucher in Geneva was erected in the 1970s. In 2010, when the build­ing was in need of reha­bili­ta­tion, and after require­ments for office spaces had increased dramati­cally, an open compe­tition was organized for an exten­sion build­ing and an over­haul.

Historical aerial photo
Historical aerial photo
South facade — original (right) and extension (left)
South facade — original (right) and extension (left)
Situation on the edge of the Parc des Franchises
Situation on the edge of the Parc des Franchises

The 10-story exten­sion build­ing was docked directly onto the existing building. The direct attach­ment of the new, narrow archi­tec­tural volume main­tains the spec­tacular situation of the exist­ing office tower, set in the middle of the Parc des Franchises.

Cross section — original (right) and extension (left)
Cross section — original (right) and extension (left)
Standard floor plan — original (right) and extension (left)
Standard floor plan — original (right) and extension (left)

The enlarged build­ing is now twice as large as previously, and accom­mo­dates approxi­mately 1000 work­stations.

North facade — original (left) and extension (right)
North facade — original (left) and extension (right)

The architects have inter­woven old and new with one another to form a coher­ent whole, strength­ening, supple­menting, and further develop­ing the qualities of the pre-exis­ting structure. In orien­tation, scale, and materi­ality, the new volume is based on the exis­ting build­ing.

Arrival of the facade elements

The new facade consists of prefab­ricated concrete elements, and extends the expres­sive style of the original structure with a contem­porary accent.

Ground floor plan
Ground floor plan

The formerly open and now expanded ground floor has been closed and linked with a contin­uous pedestal facade. It has been reshaped as an open, variegated interior land­scape with a view of the park, and accom­mo­dates the recep­tion areas and the restaurant.

View from the training foyer up to the main entrance
View from the training foyer up to the main entrance

Found in the first base­ment level is a large train­ing area, which is con­nected to and illumi­nated by the ground floor via a two-story space.

Restaurant with view into the park
Restaurant with view into the park

These two public stories are charac­ter­ized by their high-quality material­iza­tion, the floor­ing in beige terrazzo, the walls in dark oak.

View into an open-plan office
View into an open-plan office

In contrast, the office levels were executed in simpler materials and in pale shades. Work­stations are configured along the facade in a flexible structure that is readily expand­able or convert­ible. The corridors between the cores offer varied views in all direc­tions.

Bathrooms in bright pink
Bathrooms in bright pink

Only in the circulation and ancillary spaces in the core have brighter, more colourful tones been used.

The percent for art project by Carmen Perrin is dedicated to the eponym of the building, the former Federal Councilor and “father of the AHV” Walter Stämpfli
The percent for art project by Carmen Perrin is dedicated to the eponym of the building, the former Federal Councilor and “father of the AHV” Walter Stämpfli
The stairs and lifts are painted in green
The stairs and lifts are painted in green

Countless facade sketches

Final west facade
Final west facade

0090 BCFWS Administration building of the OASI in Geneva, renovation and extension

Reference numbers
Competition: 2010
Completion: 2018
Floor area: 38’000 m2
Building volume: 126’000 m3

Project participants
In collaboration with Herzog Architekten
Client: Compenswiss, Swiss Compensation Office (SCO)
Building management: Tekhne 
Construction engineer: Ulaga Partner, BG Ingénieurs
Landscape architect: ORT AG für Landschaftsarchitektur
Building technology: BG Ingénieurs Conseil
Electrical engineer: DSSA Dumont-Schneider
Signage system: Kong + Dominique Berrel
Percent for art: Carmen Perrin
Photos: Eik Frenzel, Tonatiuh Ambrosetti, Adrien Barakat

Team BBK/Herzog Architekten
Project: Samuel Häusermann, Thomas Jouffe, Noémi Necker, Mathilde Brenner, Anouk Benon, Jens Ullersperger, Jennifer Caviezel, Sophie Wuest, Maria Lampe, Reto Thomet, Jaime Rodriguez, Ulrike Köpke, João Bragança, Simon Weber

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