Speaker at the Transition Workshop in 2022.

Biography (source: http://www.marcellinbarthassat.ch/biographie.html)

origin and journey

Originally from a peasant family in Landecy (1946), in the commune of Bardonnex/Compesières, Marcellin Barthassat emigrated to the city of Geneva (1962). He did an apprenticeship with Claude Segond, a civil engineer, then expressed his interest in architecture during an internship at the Lambelin workshop in Nice in 1969. After several years of practice and training, he obtained his title of architect in 1983 in Zurich.

In 1984, he was co-founder of the architect collective bbbm, which initiated several significant achievements. Among them, the transformation of the large rural area of Landecy for a housing cooperative of 14 families (Interassar prize 1997), the Riddes safeguard plan (Swiss Heritage prize Valais 1998), housing buildings in the Pommier district ( competition winner in 1999), and the Cressy district (competition winner in 2001), or the restoration of the Bains and the Jetée des Pâquis (1992 – 2002).

These different experiences and achievements will lead him to the position of guest professor at the Institute of Architecture of the University of Geneva (IAUG) in the “safeguarding of built heritage” chair (1995 – 1998), and collaborates there with Philippe Speiser, Giorgio Bello and Pierre-Alain Mottiez. Then he was invited in 1996 by Giancarlo De Carlo to the International Laboratory of Architecture and Urban Design (ILAUD) in Urbino and San Marino. He joined the Society of Architects and Engineers (SIA) in 1996, then in 1998 the Federation of Swiss Architects (FAS). A member of the Swiss Heritage committee since 1998, he chaired the Geneva section between 2003 and 2011.

territory, landscape, ecology and teaching

Since 2001 Marcellin Barthassat has been part of an orientation which favors ecological approaches, at the scale of the landscape and territory. Successively, the architectural collective where he works will be involved in the “renaturation” of the waterways of the Versoix (Protection Plan 2000), and the Aire (diagnosis phase and organization of the 2001 competition). ) and the Seymaz (2006 Hochparterre prize).

He then joined the “architecture and landscape” sector at the IAUG, from 2002 to 2006, under the direction of Georges Descombes, Michel Corajoud and Alain Léveillé. Then, from 2009 to 2018, he taught project in the landscape architecture sector under the direction of the late Laurent Daune, then Natacha Guillaumont, at the Geneva High School of Landscape, Engineering and Architecture (HEPIA). His interest in the urban question made him become a member, in 2009, of the Federation of Swiss Urban Planners (FSU)

In 2014, as part of the University of Geneva and the HEPIA High School, Bernard Debarbieux, Laurent Matthey and Laurent Daune created a joint Master’s degree in territorial development (UNIGE-HEPIA). Until 2018, Marcellin Barthassat was asked to lead and host a project workshop with, successively, Pierre-Alain Rumley, Valérie Sauter, Christophe Schubarth, Michèle Tranda Pittion, Mathieu Petite and Mathias Lecoq.

His passion for the mountains (practicing mountaineering since 1964) simultaneously allows him to reinforce a perception and a nourishing knowledge of natural, rural and urban territories or landscapes.

evolution of workshop work

Since 2008, he has co-directed the ar-ter workshop, established in Carouge. Their acronym reflects a desire for a relationship between architecture and the different scales of the territory. Recognition of the context and an economy of means are the basis of their project practice. Together they are carrying out several development and town planning studies in the peri-urban area of Greater Geneva, and are leading several development and public space projects. The workshop has carried out several conversions (farms, old hydraulic site, CFF layout) as well as several housing constructions, a market garden hall, a multi-purpose center in Vessy, the restoration of the Pont de Carouge, etc. (www.ar-ter.ch)

In 2018, the ar-ter and Andrey Barthassat arcitectes workshops brought together their skills, knowledge and energies in the creation of a common “four architecture territory” workshop by consolidating the two workplaces in Geneva and Lausanne. The year 2019 then opens with perspectives extending over Romandy, while retaining the two original structures. (www. quatre.ch)