The object of this renovation project, finished in 2001, was the conversion of a house dating from 1894 into a hotel and apartment complex in Lausanne, Switzerland. The hotel accepts 15 guests in the winter and 70 in the summer. 16 residents occupy 6 apartments year round. It was the desire of the owners to conserve the building's original esthetics while at the same time significantly reducing energy consummation. Optimising the working environment for the hotel staff was equally a priority.
To meet MINERGIE standards,controlled ventilation is essential. Such an installation is often problematic in the case of existing buildings. In the original configuration of the house, each room was equipped with a separate stove heater. From this the team deduced the existence of conduits previously used to draw off fumes from the heaters. By tapping on the walls they determined their location and these spaces were then used to install the new ventilation system.
The goal was to unite comfort, esthetics, architectual quality and a healthy environment in a project in harmoney with today's energy challenges. The result was impeccable thermal and acoustic performance.