The Pasodoble building complex near Geneva creates living space for students and non-students, people with and without disabilities. According to Nomos Architekten, they should all see themselves as a community, and courtyard spaces should support this.
The Pasodoble building complex near Geneva creates living space for students and non-students, people with and without disabilities. According to Nomos Architekten, they should all see themselves as a community, and courtyard spaces should support this.
The dance is performed with proudly raised heads, the expansive steps are not all set to the same beat and are not performed evenly, but with acceleration. These are the characteristics of the pasodoble. A Spanish dance from the 19th century that is just as international as the Nomos architects’ association, who were inspired by it to create a project full of contrasts. Literally translated, Pasodoble means double step. The tension, acceleration and community that this creates can also be found in the Pasodoble residential project by Nomos Architekten in Lancy near Geneva.
Patios create community
The fact that architecture draws inspiration from other art forms is nothing new. This interpretation of Spanish dance for such a complex project, however, is.
The requirements for the Pasodoble project were high: apartments for students, people with mental disabilities, communal and social housing were to be built on one plot. In addition, commercial space, a center for physical training and rehabilitation, as well as underground parking spaces. Collective housing is often not only under financial pressure, but also spatial pressure.
This type of social housing is usually associated with monotony and sterility. The Nomos architectural association manages to give this type of housing an unusually positive expression. Nomos has already demonstrated through other collective housing projects that the scarcity of resources also offers scope for creative solutions. In the project in Lancy, a small neighboring community of Geneva that is growing closer to the city, the architects have combined 32 apartments for social housing and 33 apartments for mentally disabled people (SGIPA), as well as commercial space and a rehabilitation center. The inner courtyard is overgrown with a majestic, sun-loving cedar tree.
Pasodoble in green and white
Lucas Camponovo’s team erected two building sections on the 6,133 square meters of land to accommodate the various functions of the complex. Community is one of the architects’ central concerns. And to express this idea, the two parts of the building are connected by an enfilade of rhythmically shifted patios. The first floor offers sufficient space for commercial areas and the medical center, while the apartments are located above.
With a wink, the architects refer to typical elements of modernist hospital construction in the color and materiality of the exterior façades. Green tiles are still a recognizable feature of hospitals today, such as the Cadix hospital by Robbrecht & Daem. At Pasodoble, the handmade green and white ceramic tiles from Vietri Sul Mare in Italy not only reflect the environment, but also provide orientation in the building thanks to the color contrasts. Beauty and practicality need not be mutually exclusive, but can go hand in hand. Yes, dancing to the rhythm together.
Double step with bows
The typical double step of the pasodoble can also be found in the rhythm of the arches. The arched portico unites the two parts of the building, which are slightly offset from each other as if in a dance.
With the project at Chemins des Paquerettes 21 – 29, which will be completed in 2021, Nomos is not only creating living spaces, but also a community. The SGIPA shared apartments and the student apartments are organized as linear clusters. The other apartments are organized as cross types. Community is created by the fact that the living spaces are grouped around the inner courtyard with the cedar tree, and retreats are created by the fact that the bedrooms look outwards.
