plan for the alcan district, sierre, competition entry

client :

city of sierre

program :

district master planning  sous-géronde, property of alcan

dates :

competition may 2008

landscape engineer :

paysagestion, lausanne

ingénieur circulation :

transitec sa, lausanne

civil engineer :

louis bonvin et fils, sierre

collaboration :

françois meyer architecture, sion

about 15,000 years ago, a mass of rock measuring at least one cubic kilometre started to slide from the heights of salgesch towards finges. this mass came up against the glacier flow, which pushed, transported and spread it over a length of 12km downstream, to just beyond granges. the melt waters had to make their way through this mass of broken rock, resulting in a craggy landscape that the rhône subsequently filled with alluvium, taking a succession of different routes (shown on the diagram in blue-green). the hills of sierre, which testify to these events, now emerge from the rhône plain, forming a unique landscape.

the project is set in what was once a route taken by the rhône, which it evokes via its fluid shapes, oriented in the direction of flow. a recreational area full of character extends over the whole site, which adapts to the various situations, skirting a circle of poplars, joining in the enlargement of the rhône, integrating existing structures, passing across the new buildings and arranging enormous open spaces.

between the steeply-sloping hills, the park connects the lac de géronde with the river of today. the paths run along the site as far as the rhône, connecting dwellings to the park and sometimes becoming larger to accommodate games areas, barbecues, picnic tables etc. vehicular traffic is clearly restricted to the fringes of the site.

like the landslip material, the buildings emerge, rising like rocks in this landscape, while allowing the eye and the wind to pass beyond, in the direction once taken by the rhône.

each building is adapted to the topography of the site while ensuring that the space is used logically. the orientations offer a variety of views and open spaces over the whole site. their position creates a visual transparency that enables the cliff of the colline de géronde (géronde hill) to be glimpsed from the route de sous-géronde. the buildings are sited along the route de sous-géronde and connected to a space that is the focus of social and community activities for the district’s residents.

the different stairwells are accessed via covered paths situated to the north of the buildings. these paths enable pedestrians to continue enjoying the park as they walk towards the entrances of the buildings. the layout of the buildings means that a huge range of apartment sizes can be offered, the spaces running through them embodying the strong link connecting the lac de géronde to the rhône. the cross-section implementation offers spatial variations, such as raised-level kitchens, duplex apartments, etc.