Burckhardt Architecture Adds Third Storey to Alain Ritter's Brutalist Collège Rousseau in Geneva

Basel firm Burckhardt Architecture has completed a vertical extension and refurbishment of Collège Rousseau, a brutalist school building in Geneva originally designed by Alain Ritter. The project adds a third storey to the 21,850-square-metre structure, accommodating the high school's growing student body while preserving the original facade's appearance. The extension features a timber framework clad in concrete components that mimic the original facade, with more generous ceiling heights and exposed timber structure. The renovation also includes a new cafeteria opening to the central courtyard, a double-height library, an auditorium, and a sports hall in a separate underground volume. Burckhardt used BIM modeling and a point cloud 3D scan with Matterport to create a precise model of the existing building. The project meets Minergie and Very High Energy Performance (THPE) standards, and the lightweight timber addition required minimal reinforcement. By extending vertically, the firm avoided sealing more ground. The intervention is described as a sensitive yet radical architectural sleight of hand, preserving and enhancing the brutalist gem.