First inaugurated in the 19th century by a rack railway, access to Mont Salève was renewed in 1932 with the construction of a cable car reaching some 1,100 metres in altitude. The Swiss architect Maurice Braillard designed an unusual, futuristic-looking arrival station, projecting out over the void and offering a spectacular panorama over the Lake Geneva basin. Ninety years after its creation, restoration and rehabilitation works have become necessary. “Analyses showed that the original concrete was quite porous, but the thickness of the cover was sufficient to limit corrosion of the reinforcement,” explains Claudia Devaux, heritage architect and co-founder of the DDA (Devaux & Devaux architectes) practice. “The main challenge was removing the unsightly render applied to the façades in the 1980s — a colossal and painstaking task.
The project also involved creating a panoramic restaurant, a seminar room, an exhibition space, modifying the arrival platform and adding accessible terraces; all of these interventions aimed to improve the visitor experience. We did not want to ‘complete’ Braillard’s work, but rather enhance the liveability of the spaces and the spatial experience of the landscape,” she adds.… Read the article
First inaugurated in the 19th century by a rack railway, access to Mont Salève was renewed in 1932 with the construction of a cable car reaching some 1,100 metres in altitude. The Swiss architect Maurice Braillard designed an unusual, futuristic-looking arrival station, projecting out over the void and offering a spectacular panorama over the Lake Geneva basin. Ninety years after its creation, restoration and rehabilitation works have become necessary. “Analyses showed that the original concrete was quite porous, but the thickness of the cover was sufficient to limit corrosion of the reinforcement,” explains Claudia Devaux, heritage architect and co-founder of the DDA (Devaux & Devaux architectes) practice. “The main challenge was removing the unsightly render applied to the façades in the 1980s — a colossal and painstaking task.
The project also involved creating a panoramic restaurant, a seminar room, an exhibition space, modifying the arrival platform and adding accessible terraces; all of these interventions aimed to improve the visitor experience. We did not want to ‘complete’ Braillard’s work, but rather enhance the liveability of the spaces and the spatial experience of the landscape,” she adds.… Read the article
