Trèfle-Blanc: a structuring project for a new urban centrality and a forward-looking sports infrastructure

The Trèfle-Blanc project, in Lancy, goes far beyond the construction of a simple sports facility. With a large ice rink of 8,500 seats, a second one of 200, as well as complementary developments — public spaces, local shops, meeting places and services — it is positioned as a structuring hub at the heart of a future district. Designed to meet sporting, urban, social and environmental ambitions, it embodies a new centrality for Geneva, oriented towards community living, sustainability and metropolitan openness. In mid-April, the Council of State submitted an additional study credit to the Grand Council: a look back at the challenges, the milestones achieved and the perspectives of this large-scale project.

The Trèfle-Blanc project is part of a major transformation of the southern gateway to the territory. It is not merely a matter of installing two ice surfaces, but rather of bringing about a new cantonal centrality, at the junction of the Sapey, Chapelle and Trèfle-Blanc sectors. Located between a peri-urban zone and dense urban fabric, this fringe of the territory will become a true hub of life and sport, as well as a mobility crossroads, designed with a logic of sustainability and openness.

The ice rinks will be fully integrated into a district designed to welcome all generations. In addition to the sports facilities, public spaces, meeting places, a restaurant accessible from the forecourt and soft mobility pathways will promote neighborhood life and mixed uses. Thanks to its direct connections to the Léman Express, the tramway terminus and the motorway network, this new hub will benefit from optimal accessibility. It is a project of public interest, with high added value for the territory.

A project driven by a popular attachment to sport

The people of Geneva maintain a strong connection with ice sports. This project responds to a clear popular expectation: to offer a true home to the Genève-Servette Hockey Club, a springboard for emerging talent, a place where the values of sport and collective commitment are passed on. A place accessible to everyone, designed for conviviality, sharing and emotion.

An architectural competition for a strong vision

Launched in 2022, the architectural competition, which was organized according to SIA standards, made it possible to lay the foundations of an ambitious project, well anchored in its environment. In March 2024, the winning project was selected according to criteria combining architectural quality, functionality, sustainability and urban integration. The Council of State chose a high-quality project, symbol of a long-term vision.

The selected project stands out for its generous spatial organization, an innovative wooden structure and careful work on external connections. With a total capacity of 8,700 seats, distributed between a main arena of 8,500 seats and a secondary rink of 200 seats, it meets the requirements of national and international competitions while guaranteeing daily access to clubs, schools and the general public. It will be among the best-served rinks in Switzerland, and will actively contribute to redefining this gateway to the canton. It is also important to recall that this project was the least expensive among the finalists of the competition.

An evolving financing, based on consolidated data

Originally, the first estimates dating back to 2020 were based on standardized data, without finalized plans nor exhaustive consideration of site constraints. The initial figure of 138 million francs served as the basis for a study credit voted in 2022, allowing the launch of the studies necessary for the development of a technically feasible and financially sustainable project.

On April 16, building on this progress, the Council of State proposed an additional credit of 5.35 million francs aimed at further refining the technical and urban planning elements. This funding will make it possible to finalize the planning, with a start of works scheduled for early 2026 and commissioning in 2030.

Since its launch, the project has progressed in stages, within a logic of transparency and responsibility. The designation of the winning architectural firm marked the entry into a concrete phase, where estimates are now based on solid and realistic foundations. Thus, the overall cost estimate of the project is today reassessed at 293 million francs. This envelope provides for the financing of the ice rink for an amount of 233 million francs (studies included) and the surrounding developments for an amount of 60 million francs (reconfiguration of the railway line and loop, redevelopment of the Milice roundabout, land acquisitions, external developments: public squares, tree planting, pathways, cycle lanes, etc.).

An assumed ambition for several generations

This amount, although substantial, reflects the structural complexity of the building, the integration of related public developments (roads, public spaces, railway line, accessibility) and the generalized increase in construction costs (+16% between 2020 and 2024). By way of comparison, other cantons, such as the canton of Vaud, have invested similar amounts in almost equivalent sports infrastructures.

Such a development occurs only once per century. It is a structuring investment, designed to last. A bill concerning the overall investment credit will be presented to the Grand Council shortly, so that the deputies can decide on the basis of a technically consolidated project supported by a clear vision.

It should also be noted that the financing of the P+R will be assumed by the Fondation des Parkings, which estimates the costs of this additional structure at around 100 million francs. An ancillary commercial building, in the hands of private investors, is also planned in a second phase of the project, as well as a footbridge spanning the Route de Saint-Julien in order to complete the active mobility connectivity linking the different sectors.

An emblematic place at the heart of Geneva life

The Trèfle-Blanc ice rinks will embody a new major public space. Designed to host clubs, schools, families and enthusiasts, they will also open up to other sports events, events and neighborhood activities. Through their scale, accessibility and quality, they will become a landmark for the canton: both a sports facility, a place of life and a lever for local development.

Bringing this project to completion allows the emergence of this centrality, a coherent development and the capitalization on the efforts already undertaken. Choosing this investment means celebrating sporting values, preparing the future, enhancing the territory and strengthening social ties.

Planned schedule (as of May 15, 2025):

• Summer 2025: Adoption of the Investment Bill by the Council of State and transmission to the Grand Council
• Autumn 2025: Vote of the Grand Council on the Investment Bill
• 2026: start of works
• 2030: commissioning of the Ice Rinks and their surroundings