Bâtiment des Forces motrices

An unusual opera experience – Bâtiment des Forces motrices (BFM) in French means power plant building. The building located at the mouth of River Rhône, where it connects with Lake Geneva, was erected to house the hydraulic power plant equipments. The plant was responsible for supplying drinking water and electricity to thousands of residences in Geneva for almost a century. The large stone structure of BFM was declared a historical building in 1988. BFM was renovated in 1997 as an entertainment venue with an artistic genius of the architect Bernard Piceni. It was he, who transformed the limitations of the space and height needed for a theatre. Today it is a state of the art Opera House also functioning as a Concert Hall with a sitting capacity for 1000 people. Visit the cultural centre at Place des Volontaires, which still houses two pumps from the original set of pumps. BFM is an example of the successful restoration, and creative transformation of an industrial site into a cultural edifice!