MCBA Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts

The site for the new Museum of Fines Arts is a small rectangular parcel on the banks of Lake Geneva, perpendicular to the lake, caught between the CGL shipyard to the east, and the famous 1937 pool and beach complex “Bellerive Plage” to the west. Though the site provides direct access to the lakeshore, it remains relatively narrow. In order to counterbalance the fragility of this site, the project proposed by Richter et Dahl Rocha is a strong gesture, a very simple bar projected towards the water. The volume, clad in stone and open at both ends, is resting on a slate that defines the site as a public space. On this new ground, cultural events related to the museum can interact with the more spontaneous cultural context generated by passers-by. In addition to exhibition spaces, the programmatic demand of the new museum included the following: a reception area and public space, a zone devoted to the development of knowledge, a conservation area, a library, a museum boutique, a multipurpose space and a garden, as well as private-run functions such as a café and restaurant. The situation of the café at ground level in close proximity to the lake is an invitation for visitors to participate in the museum’s activity. The main volume of the museum is elevated from the ground. The access to the museum spaces occurs through a long staircase leading to an open space overlooking the lake. At the other end of the bar, the facade acts as a large projection screen in dialogue with the city. The building is designed so as to free exhibition floors from structural elements and generate more flexibility in the creation and modification of exhibition rooms. The roof is composed of a series of sheds oriented to the north for optimum control of incoming natural light. Artificial lighting systems serve to complete the natural light income, while two ceiling options—translucent glass or horizontal shading elements—can be added to better adapt each room so as to fulfil the architects wish in designing this project, that is, to give priority to the works exhibited.