The context. The site. Urban insertion.

The plot is on the north boundary of Saint-Prex village, a mixed-use area between the railway tracks and the highway. Farms coexist with public facilities, industrial halls, housing blocks and suburban villas.

The project proposes a public square on the south side of the plot, between the school, the sports hall and the new swimming pool. This meeting place provides access to the buildings and becomes the gateway to Saint-Prex.


The PLATEAU. Functional & Spiritual Device.

We propose an utzonian plinth-platform architectural strategy:

- Plinth level: entry, changing rooms, technical (servant spaces).
- Platform level: two swimming pools, solarium (served spaces).

An over-sized staircase connects the two levels in a smooth way. Visitors ascend from the darkness to the light, while feeling the texture and weight of the stone under their feet.

From the plateau, bathers enjoy the views of the vineyards, the Jura and the Alps.


Construction. Stereotomic vs Tectonic.

The massive plinth is made of reinforced concrete and stone. It shows its stereotomic character.

On the platform, the building is made of timber, metal and glass. The laminated timber structure of the longitudinal space evokes the construction of ships. The façades and the roof will be coated with bronze-anodized metallic sheets (outside) and timber panels (inside). This lightweight skin is tectonic.

The use of these two construction systems is a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional alpine structures.