architectural design competition

In the Hauts de Dorigny area, a new district has been created to provide additional housing.

An elementary school was missing from this new, environmentally-friendly site, and this was the subject of an architectural competition in which we took part. The site is surrounded by strong architectural features such as triangular, square and rectangular shapes. So we wanted to set our concept within the surrounding buildings. The choice of a triangular concept therefore responded to the varied geometry of the site, and was combined with a vision of urban continuity.

The structure was designed to create a ground floor divided into three buildings, each of which contains a school, a multi-purpose hall and a day-care center. On the upper floor, these three entities are transformed into two, housing the elementary school classrooms and the day-care center's rest rooms. These two consecutive floors form an open corridor for natural ventilation, where entrances, pathways, courtyards, visual perspectives and student reception areas are also interconnected.

It's only from the ground floor upwards that the triangular shape of the two-storey building takes on its charm and architectural complexity. Play areas are set aside in specific zones for outdoor learning. A large area of open ground is maintained and planted with trees in the common areas and surrounding areas. Relaxation, play and sports areas are organized locally by means of lateral outdoor terraces (outdoor sports fields, uncovered and covered courtyards) and covered balconies for administrative areas.

The entire spatial program comes together to create a synergy of indoor and outdoor meeting spaces, as well as vertical flows through the use of shared stairwells. according to shared attendance, interconnected movements and shared curricula.

Direct links to nature - in particular the forest upstream - are emphasized by the geometric layout of the project, which increases the area of open space on the side where the apex of the triangle is located. The planting of native trees on the eastern and western flanks of the project not only creates a vegetation filter on the road side, but also brings the quality of the trees into the project.

The predominantly glazed facade is accompanied by a lattice structure echoing the triangular shape of the building. This combination creates a modern, avant-garde architecture with a great deal of charm.