Located on the berm of the heights of Lausanne, the Pont des Sauges complex is part of a series of housing estates constructed in the 1960s and 1970s in response to urban demographic growth. The original project was planned as the location was close to the motorway link that was being planned at the time. It was initially expected to have 18 floors. The final choice of a plot further north of the interchange resulted in that number dropping to 8.
The neighbourhood comprises three blocks based on an unaligned plan resulting in a somewhat winding complex of buildings. The layout was designed by architects Bernard Calame and Jean Schlaeppi with the aim of concentrating the buildings in one area and thus saving as much greenery as possible; these efforts have since been cancelled out by the construction of new buildings in the park.
The architect Dominique Gilliard and engineer J. M. Yokoyama focused strongly on prefabricated building techniques. Besides the porticos and foundation slabs of the ground floor, the various parts were factory produced and assembled on site. Most of the apartments run right through the building. To the south, the façade features covered external balconies. The surface consists of a warmly coloured combination of raw concrete, copper-coloured or white metal structures and orange canvas awnings. The overall look is refined, light and dynamic. The Georges Glauser architecture studio carried out significant renovation work on the façades in 1995-96.
