Site Analysis: Geneva, Switzerland-Landor's Headquarters

A little background information:

• Canton(state): Geneva
• Area: 158.60 km2 (61.24 square miles)
• Population (city): 178,722 (2005)
• Population (agglomeration): 470,000 (census 2000)
• Height above sea level: 375 m (1230 ft)
• Language: French

Ever see the labels for Fed Ex, the red patch on a pair of Levi’ Jeans, or the small sticker on a pineapple that says Doyle? Curious, why are those brands burned into our memories for further reference and purchase? Without the help of Landor, none of these companies would be as well known and popular today.  Landor is a inventive company well known for “creating brands that transform businesses”.  For a further look into Landor, its’ other locations all around the world considerably would be a large influence for the array of products that would need branding. Specifically, the Landor headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland will serve as a basis for exploring. 

Aw the land of Swiss army knives, Swiss chocolates, yodeling, and of course, Swiss cheese! Centrally located in Western Europe, Switzerland is surrounded by France located to the west, Italy to the south, Germany in the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein in the east. The fact that the three major languages of Switzerland are of French, German, and Italian influences, this shows that the country is an extremely diverse nation. The country is a melting pot of different cultures and traditions varying from unique countries that surround Switzerland and so forth. In particular, Geneva, Switzerland is a neighborhood of excitement, beauty and grace, but most effectively the region is described as the “capital of peace”. As having Europe’s seat of the UNO, Geneva is known as the country’s most international area. Interestingly, the majority of Geneva throughout is mostly Swiss-French, however, there are small areas of Swiss- German and Swiss- Italian.

When researching a given sight, such as the Landor’s head quarters in Geneva, its’ surrounding traffic, neighborhood patterns, services, climate, and views from the site location must be taken into consideration. The location of Landor’s headquarters, in Geneva, is truly placed in a fabulous spot. Just paces away from the southern-most tip of Lake Geneva and the convenience of stores and eateries within in walking distance conclude that this area is a great work location. Landor’s is literally in the “heart” of Geneva and just a stone throw from the business and shopping districts located downtown.

Surprisingly, Geneva is very similar to the northeast when comparing their climates. To be exact, if you took Southern California’s lovely summer’s and Southern New England’s winters, then boom, the climate of Geneva through the seasons.  Geneva, overall, has a very temperate climate with less than 113 rainy days annually. Which in fact, is grand because an umbrella is literally only required during half the year.

When considering renovating a building in Geneva, the suns angle’s through the winter and summer months must be taken into account as well. With a little math, the sun’s angle during the summer months is 6733 while the winter months’ is angled at 27˚43. On a scale the summer sun angle is relatively high then is quite low in the winter months, which can relate to some problems when constructing. To solve some of the conflicts, positioning of windows and the roof angles can be directed and placed in a variety of ways to obstruct sunlight during the summer months, yet be able to catch the sun’s warmth during the winter.

Street View

View of "Landor Building" from Street

 Location and Street Views

To the right and far right are pictures of street views from and around the building. As you can see it is located on a considerably busy street. So acoustics and privacy may be issues and must be taken into account as well.

A lot of aspects will be taken into account during the process of designing an appropriate workforce for Landor. Knowledge and facts will be learned and obtained through this transformation and the thought of adventure and thrill to come into work every day will be the biggest inspiration of all.

 Some Fun Little Tid-Bits to Include:

- Geneva is ranked number 3 out of 20 of the best places to live in the world(in 2010 by Forbes.com and Mercer).

- Located right where the River Rhône flows out of into Lake Geneva.

- Squeezed between the Jura ridges and the Savoy Alps.

-Home to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International de la Croix Rouge Museum. 

-Geneva has the shortest commuting time of any major city in the world. 

Resources and References:

Google Earth. Landor-Geneva.  Geneva Tourism.Yahoo! Travel

Ich wünsche Ihnen einen schönen Tag!