Fonds de Prévoyance du Crédit Agricole

A location in relation to the environment:

Consideration of the location led to occupying the maximum buildable area of the plot. It is by playing with the Lausanne regulations in their interpretation of boundary distances that the building assumes its formal singularity. To overcome the problem of a building thickness that is not well suited to residential use, the plan is pinched in the centre and widened at the north and south ends, creating folded façades that visually reduce the scale of its perception and avoid overly frontal relationships with the current and future neighbourhood. In its relationship with the topography, the building sits on the land by separating the public entrance level from the first level of housing. This access system gives the building a more public character in its relationship with the street, while maintaining a high degree of privacy for the flats on the upper levels.

A typological approach:


The distribution of the dwellings is organised around two vertical stairwells, offering a variety of types, from studios to 4.5-room apartments. The thickness of the building has led to single-oriented and corner types. A loggia has been used in each flat to extend the living spaces towards the outside and to divide the living areas into sub-spaces in the corner flats. This outdoor room also provides orientation and additional views to the outside.

A search for domesticity:

The choice of finishes focused on quality materials, evoking a sense of domesticity, with the aim of moving away from the usual, common codes of rental buildings. Smoked oak parquet flooring, grey-beige woodwork, fine plaster and composite tiling on the floors and walls of the bathrooms make up the palette of materials used in the apartments. Oak veneer, Evolène stone, sandblasted concrete and light sand paint contribute to the noble and timeless atmosphere of the circulation spaces. In the mixed context of the Fiches district, on the edge of the area reserved for commercial activity, the building assumes its position and its unique scale. Through the use of metal, the project seeks a form of lightness, counterpointing its dimensions and respecting the image of its non-load-bearing façade. The structure of the sheet metal profile adds a ‘vibrant’ touch to the perception of the façades, which change greatly depending on the angle from which they are viewed and the incidence of light. The choice of materials, two shades of colinal aluminium, ‘bronze and champagne’, and the presence of the sand-coloured prefabricated concrete base, convey a timeless image, imbued with warmth and domesticity. The long windows that surround the envelope contribute to this quest for lightness by providing a large amount of natural light inside the dwellings.