Interviews
Dear Genevan women, dear Genevois,
With Le Trèfle-Blanc, our canton is committed to a project that goes well beyond the construction of a new skating rink. It is a real neighborhood, a place to live, sport and conviviality, designed above all for residents in order to meet their expectations of today and the challenges of tomorrow.
Our ambition is clear: to offer young people and families modern and accessible infrastructures, to create an environment where young talents can thrive, and to offer the entire population an open, welcoming and sustainable space.
With the White Clover, Geneva finally has an infrastructure that matches the big cities of Switzerland, while affirming its uniqueness: that of a canton that invests in its community, its youth and its future.
It is with pride that I invite you to discover the outlines of this major project, which will tomorrow become a symbol of our identity and our unity.
With my sincerest regards.
How does the White Clover project embody your vision of sport as a factor in health and living well together?
It brings together popular and associative sports: top-level matches, slots for schools and local clubs. In an area lacking in equipment, it will finally offer a large infrastructure for all.
What is the impact for the municipality and its inhabitants on a daily basis?
The site will become a peaceful and lively square, welcoming meetings, events, food trucks and neighborhood parties. It will be an inclusive place for everyone, including seniors and people with disabilities — why not a senior hockey club!
How can this project federate across political divides?
Clear governance and a solid economic model will avoid financial excesses. By sharing responsibilities between the State, municipality, operator and club, the project will be able to bring together elected officials and citizens.
How can we make the White Clover a common good for the whole canton?
With its garnet roots, open programming, shops and easy access by CFF and TPG, the skating rink will become a place of life and heritage shared by the entire population, well beyond hockey.
What does the White Clover represent for the future of GSHC and to guarantee its place at the highest level?
The Vernets ice rink, dating from 1958, no longer meets the expectations of the public or the requirements of the National League. Without a new modern sports arena like the Trèfle-Blanc, the GSHC risks losing its place at the highest level of its sport and Genevan fans will have to go outside the canton to see hockey of this caliber. The project is therefore vital for the future of the club and the elite sport of Geneva.
What would you like to say to the people of Geneva who still doubt the need to invest in this project?
The national average reports one skating rink for around 40,000 inhabitants, while Geneva only lists one skating rink for more than 800,000 inhabitants. Thus, Geneva, the second largest city in Switzerland, is one of the three Swiss cantons with the least number of skating rinks. In addition, hockey is the second most popular sport in Switzerland and a strong tradition in Geneva. More than 500 young people, girls and boys, lack ice and train at unsustainable times when sports and studies are combined. The White Clover will offer young people and families in the canton a modern infrastructure, useful for all ice sports.
How would a new ice rink reinforce the image and attractiveness of Geneva?
Geneva lags behind in comparison to Lausanne, Zurich or Fribourg, which already have modern ice arenas. A new infrastructure such as Trèfle-Blanc would finally give the canton a strong and dynamic image, capable of hosting first-class sporting events and, therefore, of generating collective emotions for Genevans. It is a priority choice to maintain Geneva among the most attractive cities for the organization of sporting events.
The White Clover is designed as a new neighborhood. How did you integrate the project into its urban and social environment?
The plot, at the heart of a future district connected to transport, will host a building opening onto a large public square that is lively on a daily basis and transformed into a square on match days.
The project aims to be exemplary in terms of sustainability. What architectural and technical choices make it possible to concretely reduce its ecological footprint?
Excavated soil will leave by train, limiting truck trips. Wooden structures, mud walls, green roofs with solar panels and water recovery, recycled wood-aluminum facades will among other things make up the building. The project also includes a reuse approach.
What were the main architectural inspirations for designing this project?
The result of a collaboration between several architectural and civil engineer representatives, the project is inspired by an “inverted nest” to create an immersive arena. The roof structure also evokes a clover, a nod to the name. The sculptural lines of the facades wrap around the arena like ribbons, creating a dynamic volume.
How does the architecture of the White Clover promote openness to the neighborhood and the daily life of residents?
Beyond the main skating rink, the site will offer a secondary skating rink for schools, a restaurant and a daycare. The fragmented volumes and the living terraces will avoid the effect of too large a mass.
How did you work on accessibility so that the skating rink was welcoming for everyone, including families and people with reduced mobility?
The routes will comply with PMR standards, the seats adapted and accompanying persons provided. Elevators will serve all levels. A footbridge over the road from Saint-Julien to Lancy should see the light of day and thus reinforce the overall accessibility of the site.