What Dreams are Made of: Film Noir Studio in Geneva by Leopold Banchini Architects & Giona Bierens de Haan.

“What is this? The stuff that dreams are made of.” These infamous lines in John Huston’s quintessential film Maltese Falcon encapsulate a genre that defined an era—film noir. Leopold Banchini Architects and Giona Bierens de Haan, two of Switzerland’s most exciting design studios today, looked to the very genre to create an inspired take on a post-production studio in Geneva.

Huston’s moody masterpiece set the stage for shadows, mysteries, and urban narratives that unfolded under the moon’s spectral glow. Shot entirely in Warner Bros backlot, the film’s cinematography, marked by its chiaroscuro low key lighting, labyrinth of dimly lit streets and shadowy back alleys, epitomises the visual style and the cynical nature of the characters it’s showcasing.

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The architects followed Huston’s lead, employing Noir-like strategies to create a space unlike any other. Bathed entirely in a cloak of dark paint, the studio’s volumes emerge as silent protagonists, awaiting their cue in the unfolding drama. Cinematic moments, artfully lit by oversized (moon)lights, cast an ethereal glow, turning empty corners and alleyways into a canvas for noir-inspired tales.

As in Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, painted just a few months after the Maltese Falcon’s release, the architecture serves as a stage upon which the human drama unfolds.

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Its clean lines and geometric shapes enhance the overall visual impact of the composition, capturing the essence of urban alienation, creating a sense of immediacy and inviting speculation about the stories hidden within the architecture of the cityscape.

As the studio stands shrouded in darkness, it’s an invitation to explore its depths, unravelling stories that echo the sentiment—the stuff that dreams, and film noir, are made of.

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[Images courtesy of Leopold Banchini Architects and Giona Bierens De Haan. Photography by Dylan Perrenoud.]