About Le Lignon
Le Lignon is an urban development in the town of Vernier, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was designed by architect Georges Addor between 1964 and 1966 and consists of three large buildings and is one of the largest apartment complexes in the world, containing 2,780 units. It is located on former farmland and was built to address a housing shortage in the 1960s and early 1970s. It houses over 6,000 residents and 930,000 m2 (10,000,000 sq ft) of floor space, including a school and a medical center.
- Canton
- Genève
- Area
- 7.7 km²
Population
37'837residents
Median taxable income
CHF 60'735
Vacancy
0.18%
Foreign residents
45.6%
Dwellings
16'667
Jobs (FTE)
20'547
Tax multiplier
50%
Land use across the commune
Every 100 × 100 m of Le Lignon, coloured by how it's used. Drawn from the BFS Arealstatistik 2025 release — the most recent nationwide snapshot.
Source BFS Arealstatistik
Loading statistics …
Jobs & economy
20'547 full-time-equivalent jobs across 1'884 businesses — services make up 73% of employment, industry 27% (2018).
Source BFS STATENT
20'547FTE total
Primary0.1%
Secondary26.7%
Tertiary73.3%
Land use
77% built-up, 8% agricultural, 10% forest. Measured across 768 hectares (2025).
Source BFS Arealstatistik
Settlement81.1%
Agriculture8.9%
Forest10.0%
Water0.0%
Election Results
SP led the 2023 National Council election with 21.3%, ahead of MCR at 21.3%.
Source BFS
SP21.3%+0.2 pp
MCR
21.3%+10.0 pp
SVP16.1%+0.4 pp
Grüne12.7%−8.6 pp
Mitte7.5%
FDP6.8%−2.9 pp
GLP4.2%+0.5 pp
Others
2.7%
2023 vs 2019
Primary / second-home mix
87.2% of dwellings are primary residences; 12.8% are second homes (2026).
Source BFS
Primary residences87.2%
Second homes12.8%
Climate data
Annual mean 11.0°C with 946 mm of rain. Warmest in July (20.6°C), coldest in January (2.1°C). Station: Genève / Cointrin, 411 m.
Source MeteoSchweiz
11.0°C
Annual mean
Mean 11.0°C
Rain 946 mm
Sun ≈157 days
Genève / Cointrin · 411 m.a.s.l. · 1991–2020 normals
Warming trend
Mean annual temperature at Genève / Cointrin has risen by +2.1°C between the first 30 observed years (1753–1782) and the most recent (1996–2025).
Source MeteoSchweiz NBCN
+2.1°C
mean 1996–2025 vs. 1753–1782
Genève / Cointrin · 411 m.a.s.l. · 1753–2025
