Herbier du Jardin botanique

Type

Culture et vie sociale, Espaces publics

Date de réalisation

2012

Ingénieur civil

Fiechter ingénierie SA

Maître de l'ouvrage

Ville de Genève

Autre(s) intervenant(s)

Surface brute

2'458 m2

Coût

12'000'000

Procédure

concours

Architecte

Bassi Carella Marello Architectes

Interview de l'architecte

Descriptif

Located to the west of the current Botanical Garden Conservatory, designed by the architect Jean-Marc Lamunière and his partners (1968-1974), the extension accommodates additional storage areas in its underground part for plant samples and the new refreshment bar, shop and exhibition area in its emerging part. These new activities replace the former aviary, destroyed during the works, and are expressed in the form of three freely placed buildings. Their almost random positioning allows them to be gently incorporated into the garden’s plant life and creates, at the centre, a small square that becomes the area for accessing the three pavilions. To the south the largely glass-paned cafeteria has a double aspect with a terrace opening on to the garden of the historical villa “Le Chêne”. The façade envelope is in tinted cast concrete treated by deactivation, a sort of sanding of the surface by a chemical procedure. In this way the incrusted stones appear at the surface of the concrete. This finish, with the window frames in natural wood, helps the building blend harmoniously into this highly sensitive place. The basement area provides researchers with a large, triple-height reading room facing the three floors of underground archives. Here, in a world of raw concrete, the interior is flooded with light streaming through overhead glass placed discreetly in the grass.