Group8 . photos: © david gagnebin-de bons
The site, bordered by the airport runways, the motorway, the halls of Palexpo and the Parc Sarasin, has defined the particularities of the building. The volume creates a dialogue with the surrounding features. It runs parallel to the large halls, as does the existing administrative building, in order to define its relationship to the wooded park more precisely. The hotel, with a capacity of 227 rooms, has two layers of 2 and 3 stars combined. A cutting made in its base, corresponding to road width, reinforces the orientation to the park. The issue of scale has also determined the choice of materials: the hotel is clad in aluminium to blend in with the existing exhibition complex while creating a new visual identity. The system of metal disks, a motif borrowed from a famous dress by Paco Rabane, creates a unique image and a visual landmark that enhances the reality of the place. This visual pattern creates the perception of a speeding car, raising the question of the “decorated shed” so dear to the architect and theoretician, Robert Venturi. The site creates a new space between the building and the halls which defines a boulevard providing access ways to the various halls. It is covered by a light, repetitive and luminous structure.
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Palexpo park hotel
Grand-Saconnex, Geneva, Switzerland
2015 – 2017
