A&F  architects geneva

The project is part of the villa area of Versoix, on land marked by a slight slope  North-South and by the presence of a majestic Lebanese cedar, which occupies the southern third of the plot. The latter is divided in two, lengthwise, to accommodate the villas of two families.  The small size of the land and the existing easements require the construction of semi-detached villas with inhabited attics, in order to be able to accommodate the entire program. The roof therefore stands out as a predominant element of the architecture, characterized by a unique material, anthracite zinc, worked in the traditional way. It covers the main level of the garden level, entirely in wood, while the base  semi-buried, is made of concrete. The twin houses are therefore organized according to a tripartite order, with a relationship to the mineral ground, a relationship to the metallic sky and a wooden body. The expression of the materials outside, as inside the villas, reflect the constructive choices, implemented to achieve the objectives of sustainability, economy of means and comfort. 

In particular summer thermal comfort in a context of global warming and winter through energy saving. The architectural response to these concerns involves the creation of an envelope (walls and roof) in a wooden frame with a high insulating and permeable capacity. While the heart of the construction is in reinforced concrete. This material is used, among other things, for its thermal inertia, which makes it possible to keep the villas cool in summer and to heat at low temperatures in winter. This thanks to its ability to accumulate or slowly restore calories.  The villas are thus structured by two independent entities, the wooden framework of the envelope and the complex service blocks + concrete slabs. The living spaces are organized in the voids thus defined. The main level is entirely open, characterized by double heights, with large volumes defined by their orientations in the direction of the four cardinal points, of a future garden with trees.