Louis Pergaud wood-straw school
The refurbished secondary school in Neung-sur-Beuvron will accommodate up to 400 pupils. The objectives set by the Loir-et-Cher department paint a picture of the secondary school of the future: open to the world and rooted in its local community. The layout of the building emphasises the continuity between different areas, the autonomy of certain functions, and user comfort. Awareness of the context, and in particular the neighbouring woodland, shapes the school’s identity.
The programme constraint of carrying out works on an occupied site, with ‘staggered’ relocations, led to the placement of teaching and administrative premises in the southern part of the site, free of any existing buildings.
Consequently, the layout of the various zones (administration, school life, teaching) is designed to ensure functional clarity and fluidity of space, taking the form of a ‘three-pointed star’ with a spacious hall at its centre that connects each area.
The ‘Administration’ hub is oriented east-west and is therefore situated at the intersection of the ‘School Life’ and ‘Teaching’ hubs.
The ‘Teaching’ hub, situated at the heart of the complex, shields the courtyard from the prevailing westerly winds and is oriented north-south, offering pupils beautiful, framed views of the wooded edge.
The main façade, as seen from the street, has a homely and reassuring scale, echoing the characteristic farmhouses of the Sologne region. It houses the ‘Administration’ and ‘School Life’ wings: these wings feature a skyline of gables, with a monochrome façade of lime-plastered and timber cladding, marking the boundary of the school on the side facing the forecourt and the village of Neung-sur-Beuvron.
The double-storey central hall marks the entrance and connects each wing by organising the reception areas, which run from east to west: a covered forecourt, a closed bioclimatic courtyard, and a covered courtyard leading to the school grounds.
This formal ‘three-wing’ layout allows light to enter the heart of the interior spaces and creates a sense of openness through a play of transparencies.
The project’s architectural language offers a contemporary interpretation of the vernacular architecture of Sologne.
The main façade, facing Rue du Stade Camille Saute, houses the administration and school life departments. It features a ‘skyline’ of gables, with a façade that transitions from north to south from lime render to timber half-timbering and lime render, echoing the characteristic farmhouses of the Sologne region.
The unified appearance of the gable façades and the inflection in the layout between the administration and school life wings naturally guide users towards the central, open-plan area. A vast double-height porch marks the entrance to the school.
The teaching wing, set back from the street and situated at the heart of the school, varies this façade with timber cladding featuring a herringbone pattern, echoing the surrounding listed woodland and the half-timbered architecture of the Sologne region.
The covered courtyards and galleries echo this woodland aesthetic with timber frames and sloping structures, allowing birds to continue nesting within the site’s structures.
