Bâtiment des Forces-Motrices (Power Plant Building), Geneva

The Power Plant Building (Bâtiment des Forces motrices) was originally a key facility of a hydroelectric plant and water supply system in Geneva. Situated near where the Rhône River leaves Lake Geneva, heading towards Lyon, this structure was built between 1883 and 1892. Its purpose was to harness the river's flow to generate water pressure for Geneva's water supply and to operate a hydraulic power network. Additionally, its weir was crucial in managing Lake Geneva's water levels.

Although the building ceased being a power source in 1963, it continued to support Geneva's drinking water system until 1988. The weir remained operational until it was replaced by the Seujet Barrage in 1995, located about fifty meters downstream.

In its later years, the Power Plant Building underwent a significant transformation. By the late 20th century, it was repurposed and reopened in 1997 as an opera house and concert hall, thanks to a redesign by Bernard Picenni. What was once a power plant has now become a Fine Arts Center. This building, shaped like an "L," features a neoclassical front facade adorned with statues of Neptune, Ceres, and Mercury.