Reflets de Jade

A 17-apartment development located in Pully, Vaud.

Jade is a precious stone whose color between green and blue evokes a fabulous Chinese past. Highly resistant, it has often been an outward sign of social status. So, by naming the building Reflets de Jade, located in Pully between avenue C.-F. Ramuz and chemin de La Source, its promoters signified a desire for quality. The new building takes the place of the Villa Romantica, dating from 1947, but which has been derelict for several years and demolished.

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The program called for the construction of 17 apartments, ranging in size from a 35-square-meter studio to a 156-square-meter 5.5-room apartment, on five levels: two stories over first floor, plus attic and loft space.

South-facing, the building overlooks the tree-lined avenue C.-F. Ramuz. This is also where access to the 18-stall underground garage is located. The pedestrian entrance is via chemin de La Source, to the north. A common entrance leads to two distribution shafts equipped with staircases and elevators. All units, from 1.5 to 5.5 rooms, are walk-through, except for the smallest. The aim was to make the most of the sunshine that the residence enjoys. Large expanses of glass ensure plenty of natural light. On the upper floors, wide balconies on three sides and loggias in the attics, equipped with glass balustrades - without reinforcement or posts - contribute to transparency. On the first floor, the apartments have access to the garden.

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Beneath its large, blue-colored, steeply pitched, double-sloped roof, the building's structure is of classic reinforced concrete construction. The ventilated exterior walls are lined with 20 centimeters of perimeter insulation and clad with a blue powder-coated aluminum laminated skin. Inside, the walls separating the apartments have been soundproofed. Low-temperature underfloor heating is provided, with individual room control via radio waves. Double-flow ventilation ensures air renewal and moisture evacuation. In addition to parking spaces, the basement - which required special protective measures for its excavation - features individual cellars and plenty of storage space for bicycles. The various technical rooms include the ventilation filtration and heat recovery unit.

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Equipped with external insulation, ventilated walls, triple glazing with high thermal efficiency, double-flow ventilation, a heat pump fed by six geothermal probes and photovoltaic panels, the building meets Minergie label criteria.

The basement garage extends well beyond the building to the south. Its canopy is planted with trees and separates the building from the traffic of a busy thoroughfare. To the north of the building, on the pedestrian entrance side, the particular shape of the plot has made it possible to create two parking spaces for visitors, a shelter for bicycles and greenery amenities.

By choosing to christen Reflets de Jade a building whose name signifies its color and statutory intent, the designers were setting the bar high. The owners of the new homes felt that the bar was at the right height.