Meyrin: a built heritage affected by asbestos
Meyrin is an emblematic municipality of post-war Genevan urbanism. The Cité de Meyrin, designed in the 1960s as an integrated satellite town with its own facilities, is one of the largest planned residential developments in the canton. Constructed almost entirely between 1960 and 1975, it corresponds exactly to the period of maximum asbestos use in Swiss construction.
Beyond the residential estate, Meyrin is home to CERN — the European Organization for Nuclear Research — whose scientific and technical installations cover a vast sector straddling the Franco-Swiss border. CERN buildings from the 1960s–1980s, designed to house heavy equipment, present particular configurations in terms of insulation and acoustic protection, often with asbestos-containing materials.
The Cointrin airport zone and adjacent industrial sectors complete the picture: business buildings from the 1960s–1980s — hangars, warehouses, maintenance buildings — constitute an important stock of asbestos-containing materials to be identified before any construction works.
Which buildings are concerned in Meyrin?
Meyrin presents an exceptional concentration of buildings from the asbestos period, with several distinct profiles.
Residential buildings
The Cité de Meyrin, with its slab blocks and towers constructed between 1960 and 1975, is the most affected sector. These standardised buildings present typical configurations: vinyl-asbestos floor tiles in apartments, fibre cement panel facades, fibre cement ventilation ducts, acoustic sprayed coatings in cellars and underground car parks. The gradual renewal of the Cité building stock generates many renovation projects requiring prior diagnoses.
The Bois-des-Frères district and residential sectors near the historic village include single-family houses and smaller buildings from the 1960s–1980s with similar risk profiles.
Commercial and administrative buildings
Collective facilities in the Cité — shopping centres, schools, cultural facilities — constructed in the 1960s–1970s often present significant acoustic insulation and fibre cement suspended ceilings. Tertiary sector buildings in the airport zone from the 1970s–1980s are also affected.
Villas and single-family houses
The historic village of Meyrin and peripheral sectors retain a few villas constructed between 1960 and 1980. Common materials from this period — fibre cement roofing or cladding, tile adhesives, cellar floor tiles — are regularly identified during diagnoses.
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Common asbestos-containing materials in Meyrin
Buildings in the Cité de Meyrin and activity zones present a characteristic range of asbestos-containing materials:
- Vinyl-asbestos floor tiles (kitchens, bathrooms, collective building circulation areas)
- Adhesives for laying vinyl tiles and tiling
- Fibre cement sheets and cladding on facades
- Fibre cement ventilation ducts (very common in the Cité)
- Acoustic and thermal sprayed coatings in underground car parks and cellars
- Lagging on heating and domestic hot water riser columns
- Corrugated fibre cement sheets on roofs (business buildings and facilities)
- Sprayed insulation in technical rooms and shafts
- Sealing joints and mastics
Underground car parks in the large Cité developments are among the most heavily loaded zones, with sprayed coatings that are sometimes heavily degraded.
Regulations applicable in Meyrin
Meyrin is in the canton of Geneva, subject to the obligation of prior asbestos investigation for any construction site in a building predating 1991, with or without a building permit. This obligation, more extensive than elsewhere in Switzerland, applies to the entire Cité de Meyrin building stock.
For projects subject to building permit, the report must be attached to the OAC file and prepared by a FACH expert. Municipal collective facilities — school buildings, sports centres, administrative centres — are subject to the same rules as private buildings, and their renovation requires comprehensive prior diagnoses.
CERN buildings, although partly subject to a particular international status, are subject to Swiss worker safety obligations when Swiss companies intervene on them.
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Frequently asked questions about asbestos diagnosis in Meyrin
My apartment in the Cité de Meyrin dates from 1965. Do I need a diagnosis before renovating my bathroom?
Yes, absolutely. A 1965 apartment in the Cité de Meyrin has a very high probability of containing vinyl-asbestos tiles, asbestos-containing laying adhesives and potentially asbestos-containing smoothing renders. Before any renovation works — even limited to the bathroom — a diagnosis covering the zones concerned is mandatory in Geneva.
CERN has its own technical department. Do I still need to call on an external FACH expert?
For works involving external Swiss companies, the OTConst requires these companies to have information on asbestos risks. The report must be prepared by a FACH-recognised expert to be legally enforceable. CERN’s internal services do not replace this certification for Swiss regulatory purposes.
Are the fibre cement ventilation ducts in my building dangerous?
Fibre cement ducts are not inherently dangerous if they are in good condition and undisturbed. The risk arises during works (drilling, removal, replacement) or when the ducts are damaged and release fibres. A diagnosis allows their condition to be assessed and the precautions to be taken before any intervention to be defined.
My building in the Cité was partially renovated in the 1990s. Is it still concerned?
It depends on which zones were renovated and which materials were replaced during those works. A 1990s renovation does not necessarily mean that all asbestos was eliminated — often only visible zones were treated. A current diagnosis allows a precise assessment of what remains.
How long does the diagnosis take for an apartment in the Cité?
The visit itself lasts between 1.5 and 3 hours for a standard apartment. The expert carries out the complete visual inspection, identifies suspect materials and takes the necessary samples. The report is then delivered within 5 to 15 working days depending on the number of analyses required.
Must the owner of my building provide me with an asbestos report before I start my works?
In Geneva, the owner is not legally required to provide you with a report, but they are responsible for ensuring that legal obligations are respected. If you are a tenant and wish to carry out works in your apartment, your own diagnostic process protects you legally — and also protects the companies you engage.