atelier ba.le Completes Timber Civic Center and Hotel-Restaurant in Bellevue, Switzerland

Key facts

• atelier ba.le completed a municipal building and hotel-restaurant in Bellevue, Switzerland.
• The project was won through an open competition in 2019-2020.
• The buildings are located on the shore of Lake Geneva, facing the lake and the Alps.
• Two triangular volumes define a shared forecourt and a new pedestrian passage.
• The design was inspired by a traditional timber bathhouse and Lewerentz's Boat House in Stockholm.
• The buildings house a restaurant, 18 hotel rooms, classrooms, a multi-purpose hall, municipal council chamber, changing rooms, and an exhibition space.
• The timber structure was chosen for its lightness due to the high water table.
• The façade is painted in an opaque white with a bluish cast, matched to surrounding plasterwork.
• The project is named Bâtiment communal et auberge-restaurant Port-Gitana.
• The location is Route de Lausanne 316-318, 1293 Bellevue, Switzerland.
• The project was completed in 2025.