Renovation and expansion of a 12-classroom school complex
The project consists of a transformation and repair of the René Cassin School in Guécelard, in the department of Sarthe. The project was completed in 2020 with the addition of a new building containing classrooms and facilities, and of a new courtyard and entrance.
The courtyard formed by the different existing buildings, dating from 1977 and 1987, is the school’s main quality. The proposed extension connects the different structures around the central courtyard. New roofs form a continuous gallery on both sides of the main building, creating covered spaces for the children and teachers. The new construction protects the school and playground from the public space while creating a new paved forecourt, giving the building a real entrance and a space where parents can meet. This reinterprets the fabric of the surrounding pavilion houses, echoing the relation to the street created by the front yard. Two new covered playgrounds are inserted where the new and existing buildings meet.
Before the 2020 renovation, the school was composed of scattered additions added over time without coherence or thought for the school’s organization. The project aimed to restore architectural and functional unity, strengthening the school’s identity and its relationship to the public space. This was achieved through targeted interventions: repair, improvement, adaptation, and new construction. A key challenge was anticipating user engagement with a bioclimatic building that relies on daily involvement.
The project implements bioclimatic ventilation that shifts with the seasons, which only requires users to open the windows when the exterior temperature is over 22°C. During cloudy weather, the mechanical system ensures ventilation and air renewal inside the buildings. Natural ventilation takes over in sunny conditions, heating the masonry chimneys and creating natural airflow by differential pressure. This solution, combined with the placement of the buildings, the natural insulation, and the large roof overhang, contributes to producing a bioclimatic architecture through its organization and construction rather than through technological solutions.
The goal was to reinterpret the existing constructive principles—masonry, wooden or metal structures, and fiber cement corrugated roofing. The new building is organized around masonry ventilation block chimneys, which house vestibules, toilets, locker rooms, and storage. The building is topped with a wooden frame, clad like the surroundings. This system creates large open volumes inside, divided by lightweight walls.
