Open competition for the EMS Castel Notre-Dame
in Martigny (Valais - Switzerland)
On a territorial scale, the plot is located in the Rhône plain offering multiple and diversified views of the Alps, the vineyards and the town of Martigny. An exceptional location that will benefit the spaces on the floors.
The program is divided into three main volumes, in order to reduce the visual impact of the construction in the neighborhood. Their autonomous positions in the site generate public voids characterized and finely calibrated for their respective use. Forecourt to the east leads to the main access to the EMS and reception. South the restaurant, the entertainment rooms open onto the large park. To the west, a plot connected to the villa area accommodates staff access and their dedicated relaxation areas.
The implementation of the program is done according to a principle of minimum earthworks. Excavated soil is considered a resource, rather than a waste. It is according to this principle that they are, as a priority, sorted and reused on site.
Life units are central to the design of the EMS. They are thought of as autonomous dwellings, the bringing together of which, for cross-functional services, forms the building.
The plan of the living unit seeks to break with the hospital corridor, to offer a large accommodation, where residents and carers live together. The opportunities for interaction between inhabitants are encouraged by the architecture. They take part in places, of various dimensions and orientations, where it is possible to exchange with the whole group or with a limited number of inhabitants. Some equipment, such as a shared library, contributes to this objective. Caregivers are part of this habitat, designed for residents. The architecture is oriented towards the search for domesticity. The federative heart of the EMS, on the ground floor, with its open-air patio, connects the various collective functions and creates a cross-link between the forecourt, the square and the park. This through the cafeteria. Orientation is simple and intuitive for all visitors. It promotes the connection of residents with their neighborhood and the city, in a logic of maintaining the civic and social identity.
The construction concept aims to use the right material in the right place, in order to offer architecture that is durable, long-lasting, flexible, economical in the long term, elegant, healthy for people throughout its life cycle and wherever it is. good living.
A&F architects collaborators: Mehdi Aouabed,
Audrey Humbert, Tahir Memil