The original project, to develop a pergola for a restaurant in the marketplace of the Swiss town of Avenches, was expanded at the suggestion of the architects into a flexible covering for the entire square. This was ultimately commissioned by the local authority. Each of the lightweight sunshades can be inserted in one of the 16 hinged mountings, set upright and cranked taut. The cushion-like roof volumes consist of two membranes sloping in opposite directions. The watertight junctions and the drainage of the modules called for intensive development work. They are fitted with a zip on all four edges. Rainwater flows from the upper membrane of one sunshade into the lower membrane of the adjoining element and from there into the column and on to drainpipes beneath the square. A medieval well discovered during foundation work – now covered with glass and illuminated – forms a central feature of the marketplace design.