Airmoire Kate,
Library in Morzine

1. Relationship with the existing building

The central idea, which generates and develops the hierarchies of the expansion project, stems from the transposition of the competition requirement to extend the axial line of the existing construction.

With the new axiality of the project, the conditions of relationality during working hours are implemented, offering a close relationship between the existing building and the extension.

In addition to functional connections, typical urban relations are added. Indeed, along the axial path, public exhibition spaces for artworks, conference rooms, access routes, services, and pathways to the many meeting rooms are connected. The path culminates in an oversized telescope, a visual panorama, designed to highlight the relationship with the existing urban park.

The relationship with the existing building is also semantic in terms of perspectives: the same number of above-ground floors with the use of secondary volumes on the roof, the same semantic relationship of perspectives with the differentiation of the ground floor from the upper levels, the same repetition of vertical lines giving rhythm. The whole is reinterpreted in a contemporary manner, using dry construction systems and flexible, low-emission glass filtering elements.

2. Environmental comfort of workspaces

The main idea follows the concept of “transparency” and filters, when necessary, through mobile systems. Only in this way can we guarantee the maximum level of natural lighting and pursue the concept of visual integration with the external environment.

A progressive degree of privacy is provided as one moves away from the main routes. Living spaces and public spaces have been placed in meaningful areas near the axial path and in relation to the inner courtyards and the triple-volume terminal. However, the most important part of the project will be addressed during the executive verification phase, following the principles and concepts of Design for All.

Designing for All means creating environments, systems, products, and services that are independently accessible to people with diverse requirements and abilities, involving human diversity in the design process. Such inclusive design is inherently holistic: to meet its requirements, not only the designer is needed, but also the ergonomist, the social communicator, and specialists from disciplines related to the specific project, along with consistent consultation with potential users at each stage of the process—from briefing preparation to solution development.

3. Relationship with the city park

The triple volume, placed at the end of the axial path, is configured as a hortus conclusus and assumes the role of a hinge between building and urban park, fostering, in addition to visual integration with the natural interior (on the first floor), relational integration as well.

On the ground floor, in fact, all activities requiring a direct connection with the city have been placed, such as associations and indirect services.

4. Sustainability and energy system

The concept of sustainability in construction encompasses a series of components concerning the built environment, to be implemented according to ecological principles and efficient use of resources. From the perspective of an integrated strategy, these aim to improve the quality of both the building and its environment.

The variable-opacity transparency of the walls (with interior partitions also transparent) allows optimal benefit from the city’s climate and temperatures. The system for controlling temperature and humidity is ensured by an intelligent mechanism, based on the total reduction of spaces to be air-conditioned, which are surrounded by perimeter buffer systems that mitigate external temperature peaks (see technical diagrams in Table 1).

The insulation and thermal inertia of the roof garden, as well as the rooftop photovoltaic panels of the restaurant, contribute to the energy balance. Such choices will enable the maintenance of an optimal energy performance balance.

5. Construction systems

Another important aspect is the choice of construction system. Today, literature contains many comparative assessments between dry and “wet” construction systems, with the former proving superior to traditional systems in many respects. Construction times are reduced, preventive engineering is far more detailed, allowing excellent cost and scheduling control.

For this reason, the system used in the presented project is a dry steel system, with external wall systems featuring a continuous façade, as specified in the project sections. On the ground floor and the south side, the filtering system will be composed of vertical wooden slats.

6. Functional phases

The functional phases of construction were designed to allow, from the completion of the first phase onward, an urban image of a finished building.

• First phase: complete construction of the structural system, complete construction of perimeter façades, connections, and completion of finishing works at Level 2 to make it operational.

• Second phase: realization of layouts and finishes on the ground floor to make it operational.

• Third phase: completion of installations and finishes at Level 3 and full construction of rooftop services. This final phase may be divided into two sub-phases, separating the construction of Level 3 from the construction of the rooftop services.