Le Plaza
“It is primordial to give urban life a new cultural focal point.”
Programme: renovation and transformation of Le Plaza
Clients: Fondation Plaza for SA Mont-Blanc Centre
Dates: 2021
Status: in progress, competition laureate 2021
As winner of a prestigious competition, FdMP are leading the renovation and transformation of the Cinema Le Plaza as part of the future ‘Centre Cinéma et Architecture’ supported by the Fondation Plaza. An emblematic cinema in Geneva, built in 1952 by the architect Marc-Joseph Saugey at the heart of the Mont-Blanc Centre, the Plaza is being redeveloped with a dual ambition: preserving its architectural heritage while revitalizing the site through stronger interactions between the city and its different programmatic activities.
The architectural concept is based on creating direct access from public space to each program. These exterior–interior connections, complemented by internal links between the various activities, reinforce Saugey’s original idea whereby the main entrance of the Plaza would lead the public directly into the cinema, drawing them along the central aisle of the auditorium.
On the Rue de Chantepoulet side, the project aims to restore the monumental entrance to its original grandeur. On the Rue du Cendrier side, the objective is to activate what is currently a secondary axis by assigning a clear function to each arcade: artists’ dressing rooms, exhibition and event spaces and the new welcome centre. The creation of a new three-story staircase plays a key role in this concept. By creating a new vertical axis within the project, it allows a fluid transition between the different programs, connecting the welcome centre and exhibition spaces on the ground floor with the Brasserie Europe and the cinema balconies above, while also guiding visitors toward the all-new immersive event space situated below the cinema itself.
In terms of heritage preservation, particular attention is given to the structure, colors and materials that defined Saugey’s architectural language. Each space is considered individually according to its programmatic requirements, its heritage value and its capacity to be preserved or transformed. The meticulous study of archive documents as well as detailed analysis of the technical interventions needed to ensure the building’s durability led the office to define a strategy structured around three principles: restore, renovate or transform.
Programme: renovation and transformation of Le Plaza
Clients: Fondation Plaza for SA Mont-Blanc Centre
Dates: 2021
Status: in progress, competition laureate 2021
“Saugey was a big admirer of American architecture. He conceived the Plaza as the first multifunctional building in Switzerland, and one of the very firsts in Europe. The concept arose in the United States.”
Partners: EDMS Ingénieurs SA, Karakas & Français, MAB Ingénierie, Ponzio Engineering, SBIS, Lumière électrique, Architecture & Acoustique
Press: Tout l'Immobilier (20.09.2021), Le Temps (29.09.2021), La Tribune de Genève (29.09.2021), Le Courrier (29.09.2021), Léman Bleu (29.09.2021), RTS (04.10.2021), Bauwelt Praxis (07.12.2021), Hochparterre Wettbewerbe (5-2021), La Tribune de Genève (16.12.2021)
