Ancienne-Douane

Lausanne

The six grade 3 buildings, constructed between 1911 and 1912 by the architects Baud and Hoguer, are located in the heart of the City of Lausanne. Spread over two blocks between Rues Caroline, Ancienne-Douane and Marterey, these buildings are representative of the fine architecture dating from this period and are now protected as Grade III-listed buildings by the Department for the Protection of Building Heritage.

The project involved ensuring that all 77 existing apartments fully complied with CVSE and AEAI regulations. New technical columns were created, and the bathrooms and kitchens were completely refitted. All the communal areas were also refurbished and brought up to standard. In addition, the attics in the Ancienne-Douane 1 and 3 buildings were refurbished to make room for 3 new apartments. All of these works were designed and carried out with the greatest respect for the building’s historic features and character.

As the façades were in good condition, only occasional touch-ups were required on the mineral parts. The renovations mainly centred around the shop windows on the ground floor and the mezzanine floors housing the administrative areas.

One of the project’s biggest challenges was carrying out the work on an already-occupied site. Careful planning meant that the work could be carried out without terminating any leases. During the works, which were carried out in apartment blocks, the perfectly co-ordinated interventions meant that tenants were able to move to vacant flats that had already been furnished and equipped.