Located at the foot of the French Jura mountains – more precisely in Cessy, a town in France 15 km from Geneva – the Château des Cologny is a historic building with territorial garrison functions. Part of a complex of buildings dating back to 1622, today the property is being restored with the aim of preserving the original structure, while adding functional and contemporary elements, like the ventilation and insulation systems that are being added, ogether with the cleaning of cladding and facades. 

The renovation of the attics in the main building and the monumental barn was entrusted to the Supervoid studio, which produced new uses for these spaces. These environments are characterised by their generous size and the extraordinary wooden ceiling structure, which has remained intact over time. 

The architects inserted functional elements and partitions inside, volumes for the services clad in anodised aluminium – a luminous material that stands out against the rough materiality of the wood of the old roof.

On the other hand, the application of mirrored partition walls inside the existing trusses is the spatial device that allows the perception of the original dimension of the space through a visual illusion. The aim of the project is in fact to preserve the spatial properties of the place while inserting elements that stand out in the environment.