Police Building Geneva

0244Police Building Geneva

Planned for a parcel that lies adja­cent to the premi­ses of Geneva Airport in the muni­ci­pality of Le Grand-Saconnex are two new build­ings, one for the inter­national police of the Canton of Geneva, the other an asylum centre operated by the Swiss Confederation. A shared pedestal level, which serves mainly to accom­mo­date the car park, forms the base for both build­ings. This level skilfully exploits the topo­graphy to form an expan­sive plat­form that lies on the level of the access road and serves as an arrivals area, disperses the stream of visitors, and can also serve as a space of encounter.

On the lower level, oriented toward the airport, the pedestal level is visible on the facade. Located here is the garden of the asylum centre, the working premises of the inter­na­tional police, parking access, as well as direct access to the grounds of the Geneva Airport. The build­ings close off these secure zones from public space. The cube-shaped build­ing with central stair­case represents the ideal form for living accom­moda­tions. The bed­rooms are strung along two parallel facades. In between, much space remains for move­ment and inter­action. The elongated struc­ture, in contrast, with its struc­ture of regular supports, facilitates the maxi­mal exploi­tation of flexible office occupancy. Envisioned for the facades is a grid of prefab­ricated concrete ele­ments. While this structure impo­ses a rigid verti­cality on the police build­ing and the pedestal zone, the pattern is broken up on the resi­dence for asylum-seekers, resul­ting in larger, hori­zontal open­ings.