Bruno Marchand – författare

In Neuchâtel, Hauptstadt des gleichnamigen Schweizer Kantons, wird nach dem Masterplan des Architekturbüros bauart (Bern, Neuchâtel, Zürich) seit 1990 eine 50 000 m² grosse Industriebrache nach den Grundsätzen der Nachhaltigkeit überbaut. Im Mai 2009 wird mit der Eröffnung des markanten Baus, welches Konservatorium und Verwaltungsfachhochschule beherbergt, die zweite Phase abgeschlossen. Das Quartier Ecoparc schafft eine innovative, radikal moderne städtebauliche Verbindung zwischen dem Bahnhofsareal und der historisch gewachsenen älteren Stadt. Bemerkenswert sind die exemplarische Verdichtung, die gekonnte Integration der ökonomischen, ökologischen, sozialen Faktoren und die architektonische Qualität der beiden Hochschul-Neubauten sowie der grossmaßstäblichen Wohnüberbauung. Marchand dokumentiert und analysiert alle Aspekte dieser modellhaften Quartierentwicklung, die durchaus vergleichbar ist mit den besten internationalen Beispielen, wie die Quartiere Vauban in Freiburg/Breisgau und BedZED in London.

In Neuchâtel, the capital of the Swiss canton of the same name, efforts have been underway since 1990 to develop a fifty thousand square meter industrial wasteland on sustainable principles according to a master plan devised by the architectural firm bauart (Bern, Neuchâtel, Zurich). The second phase of the project is due to conclude in May 2009 with the opening of the distinctive structure that will house the conservatory and school of administration. Quartier Ecoparc creates a radical and innovative modern city-planning connection between the area surrounding the railroad station and the historic and organic older city. The development stands out for its exemplary density; its skillful integration of economic, ecological, and social factors; and the high architectural caliber of the two new university structures and the large residential development. Marchand documents and analyzes all aspects of this model neighborhood development, which merits comparison with the best international examples, including the neighborhoods Vauban in Freiburg/Breisgau and BedZED in London.

The Lausanne architects Mann Capua Mann have been active since 1991. Their mottoes are: Distill the answers for the concrete project from the elements on site. Design spaces that, for all their dynamism, are organized in a manner that is clear to the users. Utilize materials that are in harmony with the surroundings. Their structures are compelling thanks to the variety of their views, the diversity of their light effects, and the expressive simplicity of their spatial effects.

This monograph is being published in the Collection Archigraphy Lémaniques, which is under the general editorship of Bruno Marchand. It offers for the first time a solidly based and thoroughgoing overview of the activity of the firm, which has distinguished itself in the Western Swiss architecture scene with its small but sophisticated body of work.

Graeme Mann and Patricia Capua Mann are founding members of the Forum d’Architectures de Lausanne. In the 2006/07 semester, they served as visiting professors at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).

Descombes Rampini''s projects are prime examples of the skillful, spatial combination of architecture and landscape architecture. In texts, drawings, models, and photographs, this monograph presents more than 45 completed projects and unbuilt designs from the last fifteen years. The publication covers all scales, ranging from spatial planning and urban planning to individual engineering structures.

For the Place Simon Goulart project, completed in 2013, large wooden lounging fixtures were installed to create an atmospheric city square where visitors can relax and linger in the heart of Geneva. Turbinenplatz - the largest city square in Zurich - is a surprising design that plays with the contrast between minimalist design and a light show at night. In the ongoing renaturalizing of the Aire Canal in Geneva, which began in 2001, the architects have gradually created a natural landscape and recreational space on a four-kilometer long, strip of landscape. Outside of Switzerland, the architects are redesigning the banks of the Saône in Lyon, and are planning the new park, "Jardins d''Éole" in Paris. All of the projects demonstrate the design sensibility and the vast experience of Julien Descombes and Marco Rampini.