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Andrea
Bassi
A constellation of 4 houses in the "green city
of Geneva"
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12th
September - 27th October 2001
opening party : 11th September from 6pm
On the occasion
of the second series of exhibitions in the new attitudes spaces
, architecture is once again present, this time in the form of four
villas constructed in the 'green city of Geneva' by Andrea
Bassi, an architect from Tessin, who lives and works in Geneva.
The houses (named here after by their geographical co-ordinates),
where the interior and the exterior mix together in a particularly
subtle way, will be presented by a series of slide viewers. In this
way affirming that there exists buildings of quality recently constructed
in the area of Geneva.
dispositif de
présentation des 4 maisons d'Andrea Bassi
A constellation
of 4 houses in the green city of Geneva
The creation of four villas presents the opportunity for a deeper
reflexion on urban territory. The villa zone on the left bank of
Geneva, in which the houses where constructed, has a strong morphological
and social identity. It is defined by a dominating tree plantation
and punctuated by constructions of similar dimensions. In this area,
still known as 'Geneva's countryside', the buildings generally react
to their immediate environment.
Our opinion, contrary to the collective conscience, is that this
part of the territory belongs to the urban agglomeration and not
to the rural regions. It is a form of contemporary urbanisation,
a sort of horizontal green city. This statement leads us to recognise
that interventionist strategies, while still preserving the unique
character of each building, gives a wider pertinence to the smallest
of projects. This attitude leads to the definition of general rules
which allow this territory to define its identity and its belonging
to a more complex urban reality.
In the dense city the buildings construct a morphologically defined
and continuous whole. The central role belongs to the road space
and to the series of constructions that define it, and less to the
specific characteristics of the singular object. The autonomy of
each edifice goes against the effect of the whole.
The villas have a different role in relation to their environment.
The identity of the ensemble is harder to describe, the buildings
are more spaced out and autonomous, often the vegetation dominates
the constructed masse. This autonomy of the object leads us to integrate
the notion of distance. The villas search their pertinence through
a dialogue with their generally non-constructed environment, often
lacking a defined dimension. The objects relate to them like a celestial
constellation, the rules are comparable with the energy that balances
our starry universe.
504.080 /
122.720
A slight slope leads us across a variety of vegetation in a magnificent
domain opening onto the sparkling surface of the lake. The new house
can be seen between existing trees defining a series of exterior
spaces of varied forms, functions and orientations. It slips over
the land in search of a view of the water. The surface of the lake,
in perpetual movement, announces the theme of a house made of opaque
glass reflecting all the colours of the surrounding nature.
504.560 / 120.130
At the end of a old lane, dense with vegetation, a parallelepipede
almost floating in mid-air can be seen on turning the corner. The
green-blue concrete vibrates under the rays of the sun, like the
light which filters through the branches of the nearby trees, making
the façade resemble an abstract painting. In entering inside the
house one discovers the heart of the light. It is a central atrium
towards which the house orients itself, as if to protect itself
from its environment and to underline the intimate and private character
of the place.
503.250 / 118.160
At the end of a old lane, dense with vegetation, a parallelepipede
almost floating in mid-air can be seen on turning the corner. The
green-blue concrete vibrates under the rays of the sun, like the
light which filters through the branches of the nearby trees, making
the façade resemble an abstract painting. In entering inside the
house one discovers the heart of the light. It is a central atrium
towards which the house orients itself, as if to protect itself
from its environment and to underline the intimate and private character
of the place.
502.280 / 113.910
At the foot of the Salève, at the end of a dead-end pathway, a groups
of constructions form a contemporary hamlet, a conglomerate of buildings
turned to face their respective gardens. The new house expresses
itself like a combination of built bodies. One walks between these
new volumes, as between the exiting houses, the coulour of the whole
is that of material from Salève. Inside the rooms deploy themselves
to lead us to the first floor in order to discover the neighbouring
wood and the distant Salève.
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