Dr. Prévost housing project is situated in an increasingly urbanised residential neighbourhood close to the city centre of Geneva, Switzerland, designed by NOMOS.

For the architects, the existing cantonal master plan of the area was insensitive to its context and partly ignored the topography. A dense programme, heavily regulated by housing laws and economical pressure, intends a predefined mix of social housing and affordable condominiums.

It demands a sturdy L-shaped, 8 story building in the middle of an area composed of individual villas with neat gardens.

Conscious of the contrasting scales and the profound social and physical transformation of the neighbourhood, the new architecture aims at stimulating a sense of community and creating a positive identity.

Bending the limits of building codes, the section reacts to the sloping ground.

Three half-level splits articulate the long wing of the L and the underground parking adapts to the existing slope, in order to reduce the economic impact and adjust its physical mass.

A wide common portico ties together the 104 housing units, connecting the hallways on the ground floor and the porches of the apartments upstairs.

Articulating the threshold between inside and outside, the private and the public, the portico offers shelter, as well as a place for social interaction.

Monumental columns of various heights emphasise the public character of the space and frame the courtyard on the southwest.

The split level in the interior stairwells allows for each apartment to dwell on its own floor and to access the elevator. The degree of privacy is indicated by the scale of the lozenge pattern of the floor.

(from the courtyard, through the entryways to the separate landings)

An open atrium extends over seven floors completing the spatial figure of the common space. At the intersection of the L, a carmine-red staircase spirals up to the sky with semicircular balconies at each level.