Quartier des Uttins

This project consists of a series of buildings, essentially a new neighbourhood, near the old centre of the small town of Rolle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva between the two major urban centres of Geneva and Lausanne. At walking distance from both the centre of the medieval town and the lake, “Les Uttins” consists of three commercial and administrative buildings and four apartment buildings. Presented here is the first apartment complex—“The Oaks.” This building houses 28 apartments with double orientation, located in a luxurious park and offering views onto the lake. The shape of the building is the result of the combination of a series of long horizontal planes forming terraces and balconies facing the park with three compact volumes containing the apartments. The building thus appears through a double typology. From the road, the three volumes stand out and suggest a medium-scale housing typology, whilst from the park, the building presents itself as a more unified whole—the continuity of the terraces is evocative of a bar building—blending into the landscape. This composition is laid onto a lower ground floor housing the access halls to each block, as well as corresponding parking spaces and cellars. This level runs below the housing blocks like a continuous foundation slate, pierced only by two little patios inserted between the volumes, allowing for natural light to illuminate the entrance halls and parking spaces. The two entrances to the complex are located at this lower level, at both ends of the building. The lateral positioning of the entries permitted the creation of private gardens for all apartments on the upper ground level.