Urban traces and new geometries

The Passerelle de La Rade is a monolithic, compact construction made entirely of dark-coloured reinforced concrete. Its lines obey the geometric links it establishes with the Mont-Blanc Bridge and the Ile de Rousseau downstream, as well as the strict positional conditions it needs to meet for its landings on both banks. These traces naturally situate the new construction in the fabric of the city and its history.

From defending the city to enjoying it

The construction of the bastion on the Ile de Rousseau has the logic of defending the city in a strategic location, the mouth of the Rhône, and therefore manifests itself with masculine strength and sharp geometry. The Passerelle de La Rade is geometrically related to the defensive prow of the bastion of the Ile de Rousseau, as if magnetically attracted to it.

But this geometric “deformation” manifests itself in the Passerelle in the opposite way to the Ile de Rousseau. It does so with a convex geometry that no longer has the mission of repelling the enemy, but of gathering the citizens, bringing them together to chat and enjoy themselves, facing Lake Geneva and the city of Geneva.