Musée du Léman unveils extension proposal featuring concrete walls and a rooftop lawn
News: Swiss office Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms has been selected ahead of Kengo Kuma, Bernard Tschumi and Studio Mumbai to envision a new wing for the Musée du Léman on the edge of Lake Geneva (+ slideshow).
![Musee du Leman by Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Musee_du_Leman_by_FHV_dezeen_468_7.jpg)
Featuring rough concrete walls, a rooftop green and a lofty exhibition hall, Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms' extension will quadruple the size of the existing museum, which is focused on the nature and culture of Lake Geneva.
![Musee du Leman by Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Musee_du_Leman_by_FHV_dezeen_468_8.jpg)
The new two-storey structure is conceived as an angular L-shaped block that wraps around the old building – a former hospital in the old town of Nyon, Switzerland.
It is designed to appear as a continuation of the surrounding landscape, with a lawn extending over its sloping roof to create a visual relationship with the neighbouring Bois-Fleuri and Bourg de Rive parks.
![Musee du Leman by Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Musee_du_Leman_by_FHV_dezeen_468_6.jpg)
Exterior walls will be built from a concrete aggregate that includes sand, clay, earth and ochre pigments, creating a rough texture designed to evoke the existing town walls.
![Musee du Leman by Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Musee_du_Leman_by_FHV_dezeen_468_9.jpg)
"A new wall, reminiscent of the city's old walls, defines [the project's] contours," explained studio co-founder Guillaume Henry.
"Seen from the old town, this building of public importance remains discrete, whereas seen from the lake it affirms its presence and period in time."
![Musee du Leman by Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Musee_du_Leman_by_FHV_dezeen_2.gif)
All exhibition spaces will be provided by top-lit spaces on the ground floor of the new building, which will include the Musée du Léman's previously unseen collection of historical boats.
The first floor will contain a 200-seat auditorium and a restaurant, opening out to a terrace on the roof.
![Musee du Leman by Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Musee_du_Leman_by_FHV_dezeen_0.gif)
"The organisational principle is to create a fluid visitors' path and allow for independent and flexible access to every exhibition space," said the architects.
![Musee du Leman by Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Musee_du_Leman_by_FHV_dezeen_1.gif)
The existing building will be renovated to accommodate offices, as well as a new documentation centre that reveals the elaborate timber framework of the old structure. Previous annexes will be demolished.
![Musee du Leman by Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Musee_du_Leman_by_FHV_dezeen_4.gif)
Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms won first prize in the competition, ahead of second- and third-prize winners Agence Ricciotti and Kengo Kuma.
The judges said the architects had the "potential to develop a exceptional building and give the Musée du Léman the visibility it deserves".