LAKE GENEVA GETS BEAUTIFUL CAR FREE ECO VILLAGE OVERLOOKING IT
When The Greenhouses takes shape, a remarkable green architecture project will be located in Switzerland's Lake Geneva district. This car-free eco-village, created by Vincent Callebaut Architectures, will have 480 energy-efficient homes surrounded by a sizable urban park. When completed, this stunning restoration of the site of the former Old Greenhouses will serve as a bridge connecting Lake Geneva with the Piedmont region of neighbouring Italy.
The Greenhouses have restaurants, co-working spaces, workshops, and a sizable children's nursery in addition to the apartments. There will also be two expansive rooftops with expansive views of the surroundings. An untouched, magical landscape will be created, with parking hidden away to the western portion of the district and beneath the building footprints. Additionally, residents and guests will be able to completely immerse themselves in nature because the area will only be available to pedestrians and bicyclists.
The vast park will mostly consist of open space and flower-filled meadows, with one section designated for fruit trees. Here, cherry trees—which are reminiscent of the city's coat of arms—will predominate in an attempt to honour the region's past. Water was another major inspiration for the architects, who positioned aquaponics, permaculture, and urban agriculture-focused basins and phyto-purification lagoons in between buildings. Inspired by the principles of Feng Shui, rain chains on the buildings manage the natural flow of precipitation from the green roofs to the ground-level orchards through the beautifully designed balconies. The layout of each apartment was planned with the living areas facing the lake and the sleeping areas facing the north.
Large panoramic balconies, which offer the ideal shade to prevent living rooms from becoming too warm and enable residents to fully enjoy the breathtaking views of the Alps, Lake Geneva, and the Jura, are a feature shared by all of these apartments. Vegetable gardens can be grown in the planters that are included with the landscaped balconies. By reducing the temperature and blocking out solar radiation, the vegetation also helps to keep the environment pleasant. With over 30,000 plants total, the series of balconies has the capacity to absorb 170 tons of CO2. The Greenhouses is an impressive and inspiring look at an eco-friendly future, even though the plan is still under study.