The canton of Valais has made an innovative choice by installing Solaris™ Heritage solar tiles on the Palais du Gouvernement, an iconic historic building in the heart of Sion. Two sections of the west wing have been covered with these tiles, and an extension on another part of the roof is planned for 2025.

The project was successfully carried out in collaboration with Valais-based Marcel Bonvin et Fils SA, specialists in tinsmithing and roofing and renowned for their expertise.

A unanimously acclaimed project
The cantonal architect, Mr. Venetz, explained why the canton chose these tiles as a pilot project: “The State Council took a firm decision to have a real photovoltaic installation on a historic building.
He also emphasized the advantages of Freesuns tiles: “This product was chosen because it was able to meet various parameters, in particular the requirements of the built heritage department, which asked us to have solar tiles that were not too large and could be assimilated to slate.”

Patrick Pellissier, head of tinsmithing and roofing at Marcel Bonvin et Fils SA, also praised the project's success: “The experience went very well, we were lucky to have a lot of technical expertise on the Freesuns side.”

A promising future for solar power on historic buildings
This first project in the Valais region has now been completed, without altering the appearance of the streets in downtown Sion, and could open the door to other similar initiatives, reconciling heritage and energy transition.

Discover the video of the project.