Conversion of a Hotel to a Family Home
Located on the shores of Lake Geneva in the village of Céligny near Geneva, the former hotel now converted into a family home benefits from a unique and special environment.
Even though its architectural value is of no particular interest, the existing structure has been preserved for the quality of the existing volume and the diversity of its views - to the south on Lake Geneva and the French Alps, to the north on the Jura mountains. Tidying the existing structure helped redefine its relationship with the site and integrate the successive construction phases in order to allow the old and new to blend and merge as a homogeneous, coherent whole.
Packed with a layer of peripheral insulation to improve its energy efficiency, then covered with a fine mineral cladding, the structure has radically changed its expression since it was converted. The extra thickness of the new exterior has caused the windows to be recessed further – flush with the inside of the walls –and to frame the views by exaggerating the language of yesterday’s “façades with holes”. The replacement of the old masonry barriers on the terraces by glass elements completes the transformation process of the building.
Inside, the preservation of the staircase and supporting wall, typical of the home’s north-south typology, has allowed to play on the functional legacy of the former hotel – living room and bedrooms to the south, kitchen and office to the north and on the contrasts offered by exceptional panoramic views.
The exterior design is reflected in successive terraces towards the lake. By the choice of materials, inspired by the reflection and visual effect of the lake’s surface, it contributes to anchoring the built form in its natural context.
