© Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms . Published on June 22, 2009.

The project is located at the edge of Lausanne’s city centre, where the dense inner city becomes an urbanism of isolated buildings. The main idea of the layout is to reinforce the urbanity of the neighbourhood, whilst providing a high quality external space. For this reason the street-facing facades are almost continuous, only interrupted by 8 meters wide gaps, the minimum distance set by the city building regulations. This configuration then allows the buildings to offer a protected central courtyard, free from the noise of passing traffic around.

© Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms . Published on June 22, 2009.

The project is unified by the star-shaped geometry of the central courtyard, which will be densely planted to become a lush, verdant garden. The project is based on these strong contrasts: between the urban and closed on the outside, and the leafy and permeable inside. This fertile garden is welcoming, and a playground for children makes this space lively and inhabited. Access to the apartments is from both sides, so that each staircase has an entrance on both the street and garden sides, and the buildings act as a porous filter between the street and garden. Parking is located below the garden and uses the same basic geometry: the star above ground becomes a diamond below ground. Its arrangement includes a generous light scoop that allows for natural lighting and ventilation of the parking garage.

© Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms . Published on June 22, 2009.

The project includes 67 generously sized apartments finished to a high standard. All apartments have the same basic typology, where the kitchen and the living room form a continuous L-shaped space. The privacy of the apartments – grouped into compact blocks of rooms – is protected from the public by a strip of bathrooms and storage spaces. Each kitchen extends outside to a loggia, oriented out to the street and protected by a second layer of windows from the noise of the Avenue de Morges and Rue Couchirard.

© Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms . Published on June 22, 2009.

© Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms . Published on June 22, 2009.

© Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms . Published on June 22, 2009.

© Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms . Published on June 22, 2009.

© Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms . Published on June 22, 2009.

© Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms . Published on June 22, 2009.

© Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms . Published on June 22, 2009.

© Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms . Published on June 22, 2009.

© Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms . Published on June 22, 2009.

© Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms . Published on June 22, 2009.

© Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms . Published on June 22, 2009.