Groupe Scolaire à Cranves-Sales
Insertion in the site
Listed in the natural slope of the site, the project is a "double school" organized on the terrace and belvedere situation on its environment.
In order to better integrate the school in the site, the project proposes to create a high ground floor in direct relation with the pedestrian street, and a low ground floor welcoming the elementary school, foot with the natural terrain. Thus the courses are more direct and each class is on one level on the outside. "Sliding" the elemental section under the building, instead of placing it in a floor, avoids having to create an embankment that would disconnect the building from the natural terrain.
In the same concern of integration, the building presents fragmented volumes corresponding to the various elements of the program. The entrance, marked by a large forecourt sheltered, also affirms the identity of the equipment while leaving guess the diversity of the functions which it shelters.
Directly visible from the heights, the project includes sloping roofs with strong vegetation to ensure a qualitative treatment of this fifth façade and a harmonious integration into the local architectural heritage.
Architectural Party
The bias of the project is the interweaving, in order to confer a welcoming and intimate dimension, adapted to the vocation of the school and to the perception of its first users: the children.
Architecture blends constructs and plants, seeking the best orientations, with privileged relationships towards the outside and between the various entities of the program, in order to bring them closer, or on the contrary to put them at a distance according to the needs.
The materiality of the school is mineral in order to favor an excellent durability of the envelope - the facades can indeed be carried out with a mineral cladding, or directly by premisses stamped with integrated insulation. This sober and elegant aspect is associated with the warm aspect of wooden joinery, and the colorful and lively character of the interior spaces.
Both courtyards are open ground and allow large plantations. Thus, the proposed landscape is a fragment of forest in the middle of which would have slipped stone volumes. In this way, the school is positioned as an important, timeless landmark and an integral part of the natural relief.
Project organisation
General design
The organization in double L and terraces allows to create two spacious and luminous courts, producing a landscape on which the classes open. The depth of the overhangs on the court favors circulations sheltered outside and makes it possible to protect itself from the strong solar contributions in mid-season and in summer.
The entrance is marked by a roof overhang at the southeast corner of the building. Inside, the hall distributes directly the two sections of the school, the multipurpose room, the extracurricular and the restoration, without forgetting a direct opening on the courtyard and the courtyard.
Both courses have been studied to propose several moods. Their organization allows to keep a vigilance on all the spaces by the teachers, while offering a variation of the treatments of soil and plantations. These outdoor spaces confer a real notion of safety and quality of use in relation to a "landscape" equipment.
The washed and deactivated concrete exterior cladding makes it possible to support a differentiated treatment with soft floors close to the games.
While allowing the deployment of two large courtyards, the duality of the building between building and plant allows to meet the requirement of large areas of open ground, giving to see a largely planted equipment and offering a true playful and educational use to this piece of nature.
Internal function
In terms of operation, the plan is precisely modeled on the general organization chart and program requirements. The internal distribution was conceived with the idea of allowing a separate and autonomous use of each section.
The school is organized on two levels, the shape of the building both to organize the serving of different entities and to maintain a great fluidity of spaces, without crossing streams.
The car park facilitates local use, allowing parents to safely drop off their children and keep a view of the entrance.
The main access is located to the southeast, under an awning that marks the forecourt. The lobby is a friendly place for the project, because of its size and its central position. It distributes to all programs, which limits traffic while preserving the privacy of each entity. A double height animates this hall by penetrating a zenithal light.
The multipurpose room is distributed opposite the entrance. Directly accessible from the hall and the forecourt, it can also open on the courtyard in case of special events, for example at school parties or when used by local associations.
The extracurricular, also directly accessible, is located on the east facade, to provide visibility from the pedestrian street. Its location allows it to be used independently of the school, especially in the evenings and weekends.
At the north-east corner, the dining rooms are in direct relation with the hall, which allows them to be also connected with the school and extracurricular. The preparation office has a delivery area on the new lane created in the north, integrated into the landscaping and parking spaces of the person.
Further on, the nursery section has large circulation areas and integrated furniture. As per the program, all classes have direct access to the court.
The elementary section is on the lower ground floor. The classrooms are served in the same way as those at the access level and are oriented south towards the playground. The optimized shape of each class is based on a logic of natural lighting while maintaining a large linear courtyard, to open and naturally illuminate the rooms.
