Welcome to Moïtel

At the end of September the Swiss firm will be inaugurating their new atelier-workshop. A flexible and welcoming space created between the walls of an old motel. Photos Yves André. Text Elena Sommariva

La Neuveville, with a population of 3,500, is a pleasant town on the shores of Lake Bienne. Known for the high quality of its tourism and loisir, it is a far cry from the traditional European capitals of architecture and design. Nevertheless, it is here, in one of the three Francophone districts of the Berne canton, that the founders of Atelier Oï Aurel Aebi, Armand Louis and Patrick Reymond decided to set up their headquarters 18 years ago. “It is a peaceful base that enables us to concentrate on our work. Without the anxiety and distractions of life in a big city, it does however oblige us to open out to the world, because one can’t expect anything here from the economic point of view,” they explain. And at La Neuveville, on 25 September Atelier Oï will be holding a big party to present their new headquarters to clients, friends and colleagues. It is perhaps their most ambitious project: an old 1960s’ motel radically transformed to accommodate the firm’s creative group of architects and designers, graphic designers, engineers and stage designers – plus the occasional friend passing by.

“This building was the best suited to house our production chain,” says Reymond. All stages of the work process are combined and visible within a 900-squaremetre structure. On the basement floor are the materials store and the prototypes atelier, while located on the ground floor are the reception, the cafeteria, the panoramic terrace, a double-height space for presentations and project testing, as well as offices, conference rooms and a bedroom. The layout is in part repeated on the first floor, which accommodates the three partners’ offices, another bedroom, more workshops and meeting rooms.

“The motel structure allows us to operate under our own steam, like a ship on the open sea. It encapsulates the idea of travel and discovery, encounters and exchange; it is a constantly evolving place,” adds Reymond.

The nostalgic charm of neon signs and ceiling fans is not however altogether lost. With a play of cross-references, for the furniture and interior finishings the Swiss office decided to draw on materials in vogue at the time, such as linoleum for the floors and panel facings and stretch fabric for the lighting fixtures. Most of the partitions on the other hand are created using soft furnishings, with the advantage of giving the interiors a domestic air, besides organising the separation of spaces flexibly and making for better acoustics.