L’industriel, l’architecte et le phalanstère
By 1914, the physical and social space of the city of Ugine in the Savoie department was disrupted by the construction of electric steelmaking plants. In order to attract and secure the necessary labour force to operate the factories near the production site, the industrialist Paul GIROD and his architect Maurice BRAILLARD designed an original […]
The soil of cities. Resource and project
Presentation Work published resulting from the Bernardo Secchi Day 2015 The ground has remained long buried during the construction of cities. Lost among the foundations of our infrastructures, under the cellars of our buildings or the coating of our streets, it remains a resource that is too often ignored by urban modernity, which has […]
In the wake of failure
At the dawn of the 21st century, the people of Geneva rejected two major urban development projects in quick succession. The first concerned the Place des Nations, the second the Place Neuve, two strategic locations in the city. This succession of failures of the policy led by the authorities in terms of urban planning was […]
Maurice Braillard and his planners
Challenge of the new Geneva, peremptory and timeless, the Master plan of 1935 brings together four urban planners: Maurice Braillard, head of the Department of Public Works, Albert Bodmer, Hans Bernoulli and Arnold Hoechel. A reflection on the theme of rejuvenating cities – developed by Braillard and his partners in 1929 – is attained with […]
Heritage and architecture – Rooftops and shelter
The FBA contributed to this work, born from the exhibition “Under the same roof”. To get as soon as possible!
Racines modernes de la ville contemporaine (Modern tools of the contemporary city)
Book resulting from the Bernardo Secchi study day 2018.
Urbanism of hope: projecting horizons of expectation
Publication on October 5th, 2018. Resulting from the Bernardo Secchi day 2017, this book aims to redefine the role played by the project – project of cities and territories – within the social construction of hope. It aims to redefine the role played by the project – project of cities and territories – within […]
Maurice Braillard – Verticales Urbaines (the film)
MAURICE BRAILLARD – VERTICALES URBAINES Directed by: Aurélie Doutre Narration: Paul Marti, historian Production: Braillard Architects Foundation The European Heritage Days in 2020 gave rise to an original initiative: the presentation, on the premises of the Braillard Architects Foundation, of an exhibition dedicated to the unbuilt towers of Maurice Braillard. Today, the Foundation has the […]
Seven forward-looking visions for Grand Genève
Read the online publication on the work of the 7 teams of the Grand Genève Consultation.
“Maurice Braillard, architecte & urbaniste”
Maurice Braillard Architect & urban planner Marina Massaglia Aït-Ahmed, Braillard Architects Foundation, Georg Éditeur, 1991 First monograph on Maurice Braillard. Available in French and German from the Foundation. Shop
“Maurice Braillard, pionnier suisse de l’architecture moderne”
Maurice Braillard Swiss Pioneer of Modern Architecture Ursula Paravicini and Pascal Amphoux, Braillard Architects Foundation, 1993 Book published for the exhibition “Maurice Braillard, pionnier suisse de l’architecture moderne” presented at the Musée Rath in Geneva from April 1st to May 30th, 1993. Available in French and German from the Foundation. Shop See the page dedicated […]
“Pierre Braillard, un demi-siècle d’architecture”
Pierre Braillard Half a century of architecture in Geneva Pierre Braillard, Pierre Braillard Editions, Monaco, 2007 Book retracing the years of profession from 1932 to 1982. 425 pages. Available in French from the Foundation. Order the book
Building up stories
The rise of storytelling in urban planning is concomitant with the end of what have been called great narratives. The narrative of town planning, as Secchi defined it in the 1980s – namely a progressive and emancipatory rhetoric associated with the transformations of the city – gives way to simply introducing a plot of urban […]
Design the transition – the book
Book resulting from the conference series Design the transition – year 1
Geneva at the test of sustainability
To close the conferences series “Visions for Geneva” organised in 2007 by the Braillard Architectes Foundation on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, this work examines – from a sustainability perspective – the territorial dynamics underway within the French-Swiss agglomeration. The “Greater Geneva” is broached from different angles: identity, institutions, politics and economy, but also […]
Urban inequalities: From the utopian project to sustainable development
Presentation Work published following the Bernardo Secchi Day 2016 Today, there is no guarantee that human societies can evolve sustainably. Insofar as this project represents our only possible collective horizon, it will be both the cause and the result of a drastic change in our lifestyles which will not succeed without everyone’s voluntary support. […]