Architect
in Haute-Savoie,
from one end of the 74 to the other.

Calling on an architect in Haute-Savoie means choosing a professional who masters architectural design, local regulations and the reality of building sites in mountain areas. Department 74 has 279 municipalities spread over 4,388 km², from the French shore of Lake Geneva to the 4,810 metres of Mont Blanc. This geographical diversity requires a detailed reading of the territory: a project in Annecy does not follow the same rules as a chalet in Chamonix, a house in Saint-Julien-en-Genevois or an extension in Thonon. Atelier NovAlp works across all of this diversity, with the same high standard of architectural quality and the same rigour in project management.

Our office is based in Aix-les-Bains (73), on the southern border of Haute-Savoie, 30 minutes from Annecy via the A41. This location lets us cover the whole of department 74 at short notice: the Annecy area, Greater Geneva (Annemasse, Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, Pays de Gex), the Chablais (Thonon-les-Bains, Évian-les-Bains, Douvaine), the Arve valley and Faucigny (Cluses, Bonneville, Sallanches, La Roche-sur-Foron), the Pays du Mont-Blanc (Chamonix, Megève, Saint-Gervais, Combloux), the Aravis massif (La Clusaz, Le Grand-Bornand, Manigod, Flumet) and the Plateau des Bornes. Our experienced site teams in Haute-Savoie cover all the trades: carpenters, masons, joiners, plumbing and heating engineers, electricians and landscapers.

As a project manager in Haute-Savoie, we manage your entire project: free feasibility pre-study, architectural design, building permit application, tendering and pricing of the works, coordination of the trades, weekly site supervision, budget management and handover with snagging. As general contractor, we make an overall commitment on price and timeframe, with a single point of contact from A to Z. Our manager is a state-qualified architect (French DEA degree), which ensures a structured design standard from the very first sketch.

Haute-Savoie also imposes dense regulatory constraints: the Loi Montagne (1985), which applies to most municipalities, the Loi Littoral around Lake Annecy and Lake Geneva, municipal local plans (PLU) that are often strict on heights, materials and roof pitches, PPRN natural risk plans (avalanche, landslide, torrential flooding), and ABF heritage zones in historic centres (Annecy, Thonon, Évian, Yvoire). We factor in these constraints from the feasibility stage to avoid unpleasant surprises at permit stage.

Savoyard regional architecture (larch cladding, steeply pitched roofs, wooden shingles, local stone, interior panelling) shapes the identity of buildings in Haute-Savoie. We have mastered it and know how to reinterpret it in a contemporary idiom: contemporary timber chalet with large picture windows, passive villa with a flat green roof, comprehensive energy renovation of an old farmhouse. Each project is conceived as a dialogue between tradition and thermal performance.

Grand Annecy. The economic and demographic heart of the department, with around 210,000 inhabitants around the lake. Extreme pressure on land, a demanding local plan (PLU), ABF heritage oversight on the lakeside and in the historic centre. Typical projects: house renovation, apartment renovation, contemporary villa, chalet on the slopes of the Semnoz and the Aravis. Details on our Annecy architect page.

Greater Geneva. The Franco-Swiss conurbation (Annemasse, Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, Pays de Gex, Reignier-Ésery, Douvaine) is one of the most dynamic areas in France. A high proportion of cross-border workers employed in Switzerland, high purchasing power, a tight property market. Typical projects: high-end new builds, family villas, extensions to houses from the 1970s to 1990s. See our dedicated pages for Annemasse and Pays de Gex.

Chablais. The French shore of Lake Geneva is home to Thonon-les-Bains, Évian-les-Bains, Douvaine, Publier and Yvoire. Strict Loi Littoral rules, scarce land on the shoreline, spa heritage to be preserved. Typical projects: lakeside villa, renovation of summer residences, upmarket apartments. See Thonon-les-Bains and Évian-les-Bains.

Pays du Mont-Blanc. Chamonix, Megève, Saint-Gervais, Les Contamines, Combloux, Passy: internationally renowned resorts where prices per m² rival Paris. Architectural rules specific to each municipality (Chamonix charter, Megève charter), altitude, winter access. Specialising in high-end chalets and the renovation of mountain heritage. See Chamonix and Megève.

Arve valley and Aravis. Cluses, Bonneville, Sallanches and La Roche-sur-Foron on the industrial and residential side; La Clusaz, Le Grand-Bornand, Manigod and Flumet on the resort and second-home side. Prices are more affordable than around Lake Annecy, but the mountain regulations are the same. Our Cluses, Bonneville, Sallanches and Aravis (La Clusaz / Grand-Bornand) pages cover each area in detail.

The legal rule is simple: above 150 m² of total floor area after the works, a private individual must appoint an architect registered with the Ordre to submit a building permit. Below that, it is no longer an obligation but a choice — and in Haute-Savoie that choice rarely turns on floor area.

What really decides, here, is the rule book. The département stacks up constraints found nowhere else: ski resort local plans that dictate roof pitch, overhangs and façade materials; the Loi Montagne and snow load zones that govern the structure; the surroundings of listed monuments and protected sites where the ABF heritage architect gives an opinion; and the Loi Littoral along the shores of Lake Geneva and Lake Annecy. A refused application always costs more than the design work that would have avoided it.

Where we stand. We design — our managing partner is a state-qualified architect (French DEA degree) — and we build, with our own teams, from structural work to finishing trades. In practice you have one person who draws the scheme, prepares the planning application, invites tenders, plans and runs the site, from Annemasse to Chamonix and from Thonon to Annecy. When a project goes beyond the 150 m² threshold, we tell you at the first visit and the project is organised accordingly.

Architect, project manager, general contractor. These three words do not describe the same contract. The architect designs and may oversee the works; the project manager designs, invites tenders and runs trade contractors you pay directly; the general contractor signs a single contract and is solely answerable for the result. We tell you which of the three serves your project, before we talk about fees.

Atelier NovAlp is certified RGE CertiRénov by Qualitel, a state-recognised label for comprehensive renovations. This qualification makes your works eligible for all the public grants available in Haute-Savoie: MaPrimeRénov' (ANAH), Energy Savings Certificates (CEE), the Éco-PTZ zero-interest eco-loan of up to €50,000, and reduced 5.5% VAT on energy improvement works. Combined, these schemes frequently cover 30 to 50% of the pre-tax amount of a comprehensive renovation.

The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region offers its own additional grants: the Oktave scheme for low-energy (BBC) renovations, specific grants for switching to a heat pump, and regional energy vouchers for low-income households. Department 74 also supports certain projects through targeted grants (lifts, disability adaptations, renewable energy). We help you put the applications together and make the most of the grants.

In practice, RGE energy renovation in Haute-Savoie mainly concerns three profiles: old chalets at altitude (energy-inefficient homes rated F or G, with great potential for savings), houses from the 1970s to 1990s in the Annecy area and the Genevois (inadequate insulation, original windows), and town-centre apartments in Annecy, Thonon and Annemasse (co-ownership buildings, single glazing). We work on all three types, with a prior energy audit and phased works adapted to your budget.