Types of mandate
Historical project
Dates
1956-1957
Location
Châtelaine
Architectes
Georges Addor
Owner of
the project
Tavaro SA
Project
One may wonder why the architect detached the two floors of this office building from the ground, giving it the appearance of a piece of furniture on feet; perhaps it was to provide a view of the garden at the back or for advertising purposes, as this construction was intended to accommodate the administration of the Elna sewing machine company newly established in Geneva.
Inside, there are office towers with traffic on the road facade, while the exterior decorated with sunshades is in the form of a reinforced concrete frame (slab on the ground floor, roof and gables) about 90 m long. A superstructure that is more aesthetic than functional enlivens its roof. This building, which today houses the administrations of several companies, has undergone few transformations, with the exception of a few modifications such as the renewal of the external joinery currently made of aluminium, as well as some internal alterations following changes in tenants.
François Maurice, “Ancienne usine Tavaro”, in Catherine Courtiau (dir.) XXe - Un siècle d’architectures à Genève : promenades, Patrimoine suisse Genève, Gollion, Infolio, 2009, p. 428