Sophie Scholl Nursery School
The issue of superimposed programs raises the question of the identity of its components.
Lot A1 of the Léon Blum joint development zone, at the foot of the future SGP line 15 station, is home to a residential development of 144 units and a 12-class nursery school.
The program is complex. Everyone has to find their place, their identity. Particularly the very young. The Sophie Scholl school forms the base, the support for the operation, anchoring the facility in the public space, while providing protection from the outside world. The envelope is made of light-colored architectural concrete.
The complex is built over two and a half stories. The program is divided into two entities corresponding to the different kindergarten sections.
On the easily accessible first floor, the four classrooms and three dormitories for first year sections are arranged along the south, west and north façades. These rooms wrap around the inner courtyard. The interior layout is partially open onto this courtyard, providing maximum natural light. On the south side, in direct relation to the public space, but slightly overhanging to meet the need for concentration and tranquility, is the library of the documentation center.
At second floor level, the school volume develops in an L shape around the inner courtyard, which at this level extends over the entire eastern part of the school. The eight second and last year classrooms are located on the south and west facades. The after school room and toilet blocks are located on the courtyard sides. In the south-east corner, a second canteen is dedicated to the second and last year sections. This walk-through room is accessible at ground level from the classrooms, as well as from the school courtyard.
In the south-west corner of the third floor, the common areas of the Imagym/psychomotricity room, the large development room and the teachers’ lounge are located to assert the presence of the facility.
In contrast to the orthogonal wooden grid of the housing facade, the school’s openings, planters and lighting fixtures are arranged in circles, creating a playful interplay of shapes that are easily identifiable by the children, making outdoor spaces a source of learning that encourages interaction, with varied scales and ambiences.
