FONDATION BOISSONNET
COMPETITION
LOCATION: Chem. de Boissonnet, Lausanne, Suiza
YEAR: 2022
STATUS: Approach
PROGRAM: medical - social
Design: Carlos Martínez (AR-AR) + Fiallo Atelier + Manuela Eblé C+ Juan Jose Vargas
COLLABORATORS: Manuela Eblé C - Carlos Mártinez
- Jesús Fiallo - Juan Jose Vargas - Ana María Díaz Parra - Juan Sebastián Camacho Perea - Daniel Sánchez - Maria Fernanda Guerrero - Enrique Cadavid - Alejandra Leon.
Karen López Molina - Santigo Ramirez
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Our approach to the project has a particular and sensitive focus around the sensory perception of the unity of life. In the process of its composition, we remember the emotion and experience conveyed by the painting "San Girolamo nello studio" by Antonello de Messina. This work reflects the value and role of furniture in recreating an atmosphere and the comfort of a space; when we contemplate it, we see San Jerónimo in a stone and colossal building; however, he appears to be in a home study, he is very comfortable writing. We guess this is due to the presence of wooden furniture, which is responsible for balancing the scale to provide shelter and warmth for human activity. This can also be seen in Louis Kahn's Fisher House, in this case, the structure of the facade and the wooden furniture complement each other and agree to transcribe this atmosphere in the place. Our living unit transcribes this reflection in its spatial quality, the space has a stone coating given by the concrete whose living dynamics is defined by the furniture and wood finishes. A calm, welcoming and serene atmosphere for an elderly person.
CONCEPT
1. PLACE
The Foundation Boissonnet is a common point between the natural and architectural heritage of the place: on the most concave edge of the property (south-west) there is a multi-scalar tree node that weaves a continuous physical and visual relationship with the Bois de Sauvabelin, while in The less concave edge -northeast- rests on the maison «mère», a symbolic and identity referent of traditional architecture that represents a landmark of reference and transition between Chem. de Boissonnet, Chem. des Abeilles and Chem. de la Fourmi streets.
2. EMPLACEMENT
Three bars are located —in an east-west direction— isolated and staggered from each other by a small longitudinal offset that allows them to embrace/accommodate a greater coverage of the space in the place and, in addition, receive the greatest sunlight inside in the winter season. These bars are articulated by a transversal axis that is arranged —in a north-south direction— parallel to the length of the maison «mère» to interconnect this pre-existence with the new building: an axis that takes the role of structuring nucleus of the building.
3. LANDSPACE
In this way, a comb-shaped emplacement is configured whose voids between bars allow for a constant relationship between interior-exterior and greater permeability in the soil of the property (soft and semi-hard soils); which interweaves a visual relationship with the near and far landscape of the place that begins in the domestic and collective garden and then passes through the pre-existing tree node on the south-west edge and, finally, ends in the Bois de Sauvabelin.
CONCEPT AND ARCHITECTURE
1. BAR
The bar is a typology that responds satisfactorily to the housing conditions of the place. On the one hand, its slenderness allows the incidence of natural light to penetrate the entire interior space, which provides spatial quality and comfort. On the other hand, its elongated figure facilitates the provision, privatization and standardization of the 112 housing units required in the program.
2. COMB
The crossing/interconnection that is generated between the parallel bars and the perpendicular bar defines all the spatial relationships of the place: the perpendicular bar can be reinterpreted as a street, the parallel bars as passages and the voids between them as squares-parks. The building transcribes, metaphorically, the urban life of a town in the daily activity of the inhabitants and visitors of the place.
3. EMPTY - GARDEN
The void houses low-medium size gardens that serve as a transitional flow between the pre-existing heritage tree line and the building, inviting indistinct routes. The central axis is a transitive filter between the public access plaza and the garden whose therapeutic and contemplative approach includes ecosystem services that promote self-sufficiency and holistic well-being of the local inhabitants.
TYPOLOGY AND ARCHITECTURE
STRUCTURE
The structural system is defined by concrete screens whose modulation -two linear axes arranged on the longitudinal edges of each bar- provides the space with a high flexibility of adaptation and transformation over time; In addition, it responds to the long-term sustainability of the building.
ENCLOSURE
The enclosure of the facades is defined by wooden bodies that modulate the windows; a material of local origin that has a positive impact on the care of the environment, the local economy and the thermal comfort of the interior space, especially of the living units. In addition, the furniture of the building is also made of wood, which consolidates the interior comfort. In this way, the contrast between concrete and wood evokes a warm and peaceful atmosphere.
PERMEABILITY
On the other hand, a permeable soil is adapted in most of the walkable area of the site —semi-hard and soft soils— in order to generate the least possible impact on the environment and contribute to the good development of its ecological processes.
