VERNIER
In the city, I live in the municipality of Vernier, adjacent to the
city of Geneva, and not far from the airport. My neighborhood is called
Châtelaine. It is
a working class area without banks or hotels, but a mix of apartment
buildings (many subsidied for low-income families) and single family homes, a large area of family gardens,
schools and a few shops and restaurants. Some industrial areas
and fuel tank farms are not far away, as is the largest shopping centre
in the region. More than half the population is of foreign
origin, which makes for an interesting diversity. The population of
Vernier of
over 32,000 makes it the 15th largest city in Switzerland. The Vernier Bahá'í community has its own web site at http://www.bahaivernier.ch/.
My tiny (29 square meter) studio apartment is in a small square
building built in the 1960s, presently 5 stories, but possibly to be
increased to seven, one of four similar buildings set well back from
any roads with traffic and with grass all around. My apartment faces
west, towards a small factory making parts for Rolex watches, with some
of the Jura mountains visible between the buildings. However most of
the view has now vanished (see below) as a 7-storey building is being
built across the parking lot. The pictures below were taken from my
apartment window.
View from my apartment (as it used to be up to 2008)
. 
Moonset over the Jura mountains at dawn
It has been a very quiet neighborhood, but in September 2008,
construction began on a big low-income housing complex of over 100
apartments in a 7-storey bar in the beautiful green field just outside
my window.
Start of construction, September 2008
. 
The green field became a big hole by November 2008
. 
By January 2009, the excavation was nearly completed
. 
In February, the diggers departed and giant cranes were erected. They began pouring cement for the foundations
. 
In March, the cranes were busy almost continuously as basement levels rose
. 
By the end of June, the basement levels had been completed
. 
At the end of July, the ground floor was completed and the next floor started
. 
In mid-August, another floor was done. My view will start to disappear
. 
By mid-September, I could hardly see the crest of the Jura mountains
. 
At the end of September, my mountain view was almost gone behind the scaffolding
. 
Last view of the mountains, early October
By the end of November, the last storey was being added
By February 2010, one crane was removed
. 
In April, the entrance to the underground garage was nearly complete
. 
By May, the last crane was gone and most work was going on inside
. 
To be continued...
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Last updated 3 July 2010
Photos copyright © Arthur Lyon Dahl 2008-2010