The project in brief
Project owner
Vaudoise Générale Compagnie d'Assurances SA
Total company
Entreprise générale Bernard Nicod SA
Partner companies
BG Ingénieurs Conseils SA Lausanne, Thermex SA az ingénieurs lausanne sa, AER Acoustical Engineering and Research Sàrl, Joffré & Co Sàrl, Bertholet + Mathis SA PHIDA Etanchéité (VD) SA Fire System SA Alva Agencements Sàrl HKM SA Wider SA Bussigny Gétaz-Miauton SA
General information
Introduction
Primerose 2 is a building erected in 1962, intended for housing and administrative activities.
Background / situation
Primerose 2 was built in 1962 for housing and administrative purposes. Designed by architects Cahen and Keller, it and the Vaudoise Assurances headquarters on the other side of Avenue des Bains mark the beginning of the steep incline of this thoroughfare towards Bellerive and Lake Geneva. It's one of the most beautiful locations in the city of Lausanne. During the eighties, Vaudoise Assurances increased office space by erecting a building to the north of Primerose 2.
.
Program
After sixty years of existence, Cahen et Keller's building still displayed a remarkable elegance with its long balconies underlining the floors and ending in loggias.
Seven storeys high, topped by an attic girdled by a cantilevered pergola, the building rests on an entresol and a basement level on the lower first floor. Access is via either Avenue des Bains or Chemin de Primerose, where the covered parking lot is located.
Primerose 2 comprised sixteen apartments, all facing south, while the northern part was reserved for administrative areas. Over the years, major renovation work proved necessary to transform the administrative areas into apartments and bring the entire facility up to current standards.
Realization
To meet the owner's wishes, the most typologically significant step was to redistribute the floor space by converting the administrative premises into apartments, adding twenty-one new apartments to the sixteen pre-existing ones.
The plan organized around a central core, complemented by pillars supporting the periphery, facilitated the reworking of the floor space, enabling the development of one to four apartments per level. This distribution led to the refurbishment of new apartments as well as existing or modified ones.
The partitions and floor coverings were redone. New kitchens and bathrooms with washing machines and tumble dryers. New triple-glazed windows, electrified blinds and awnings were installed. The refurbishment also extended to all common areas: entrance, laundry room, elevator, stairwell, garage and new stroller/bike rooms. The building is listed as note 3 in the inventory by the Service du patrimoine vaudois. The facade elements were studied in coordination with the heritage delegate and the City of Lausanne's architecture department, in order to preserve the building's identity in the spirit of the 1960s.
With regard to the envelope, the facades were the subject of careful attention: the old insulation lacked efficiency and the desire was to improve energy performance. The exterior walls were stripped bare, the concrete treated against carbonation, new insulation installed and clad with new cladding in the spirit of the original choices.
The loggias were fitted with new glazing and the railings raised.
The loggias were fitted with new glazing and the railings raised.
The loggias were fitted with new glazing and the railings raised.
The loggias were fitted with new glazing and the railings raised.
The loggias were fitted with new glazing and the railings raised.
Technical
The building has been connected to the City of Lausanne's district heating system since 2016. The boiler room and supply pipes have been rebuilt. The radiators are on the facade and each dwelling is equipped with an individual energy consumption meter. The building is equipped with single-flow ventilation. Energy recovery from exhaust air is used to preheat domestic hot water.
The stairwell has been pressurized to ensure the evacuation of residents in the event of fire, and to facilitate the intervention of the fire department. From an electrical point of view, the high-current, low-current and fire-safety installations were completely overhauled. The creation of a centralized electrical switchboard in the basement required new risers to supply the apartments.
The entire building was fitted with LED light sources, with presence detection in common areas. As this is a high-rise building, an overpressure system and a dry column were installed. Leakage paths are equipped with markers and emergency lighting. Sanitary facilities have been completely replaced and adapted to the new configuration of the premises.
Special measures
The renovation work was carried out in the presence of the tenants. The creation of twenty-one new apartments made it possible to relocate tenants within the building itself. This mode of intervention was made possible thanks to good coordination between the total contractor and the tenants, who had every interest in remaining in such a building. This led to the setting up of a team whose function was to maintain a constant dialogue with the tenants to mitigate the negative effects of the work.
Highlights
After such treatment, Primerose 2 is probably in a position to look forward to the next sixty years with peace of mind.
