Louis-Jeantet Centre
The Louis-Jeantet Villa, headquarter of the Foundation
Located in a residential area of Geneva, this former patrician residence is intended on the one hand, as a place of work, reflection and exchange for the medical and scientific community, and on the other hand, for the philanthropic sector in French-speaking Switzerland.
The Louis-Jeantet Auditorium
Located on the lower floor of an adjoining building, the 150-seat Louis-Jeantet Auditorium is complemented on the ground floor by a flexible 20-25-seat meeting room and a foyer with bar and kitchen.
History of the Villa
Towards the end of the 1980’s, the Louis-Jeantet Foundation expressed interest in a private mansion known as the Villa Edelstein. Built at the beginning of the 20th century in a neo-Renaissance style, this listed building was in a sorry state. Damaged by fire and subsequently abandoned, the residence nonetheless remained a jewel in the crown of the cultural heritage of Geneva. It enjoyed a privileged location, situated close to the university hospital complex.
In 1992, after years of negotiations, the State of Geneva agreed to cede the leasehold for 99 years to the Louis-Jeantet Foundation for the nominal sum of one franc, and a commitment to renovate the building. Given the size and importance of the job, the Foundation organised an international architectural competition, covering an Auditorium, the garden and the renovation of the old mansion. The competition was won by the Domino architects together with the Ter landscape gardeners.
The Villa Louis-Jeantet was renovated by specialists in the conservation of patrimony, under the supervision of the architect Pierre Bosson. The Foundation set up its headquarters there in 1998.
History of the Auditorium
The Louis-Jeantet Auditorium is linked to the Villa by a patio garden inspired by Moghol gardens and the courtyards of Persian mosques. From the patio, a large revolving door gives access to the Auditorium. The continuity in space is assured by the materials used – black shale, architectural concrete, panels with Bakelite finish and bright colours – their presence inside the building recalls the garden outside. The interplay of shadow and light then brings it all together.
A huge natural light well illuminates the stage. Openings in the surfaces of the architectural features bring light to areas otherwise in darkness. And even if the Auditorium is situated on the lower ground floor, the visitor never has the impression of being beneath a residential apartment block. At night the lighting is reversed, now coming from recessed spotlights in the floor or in the streams and fountains of the garden.
- Centre Louis-Jeantet, Domino Architectes
This work describes the architectural approach adopted by the winners of the architecture competition organised in 1992 by the Foundation (in French only). - Re-Naissance, Villa Edelstein
Produced jointly by the photographer Jean Mohr and the writer Marie Gaulis, this work takes a lyrical view on the different stages of the renovation of the Villa that has become the headquarters of the Foundation (in French only).
Tél : +41 (0) 22 704 36 36, info@jeantet.ch