Collège des Parcs
Balconies for All Seasons
The Collège des Parcs in Neuchâtel, a building with a contemporary expression, pays particular attention to the city’s architectural tradition and heritage.
The extension, located to the rear of the existing historic school, is designed with a symmetrical plan that efficiently distributes the classrooms and the various spaces of school life. The colonnades, conceived as true loggias along the south façade, extend the playground and serve as outdoor activity areas. Accessible directly from the classrooms, these exterior spaces enrich the pupils’ learning experience throughout the year.
The façade reinterprets the Heimatstil language of the old school building in order to ensure stylistic continuity with the neighbouring buildings. The choice of materials and colours guarantees integration into the urban context of Neuchâtel, while offering colourful, lively, and adaptable spaces.
An Underground Sports Hall to Preserve the Heritage
The Parcs sports hall in Neuchâtel integrates modern sports facilities while respecting the integrity of the former college building, listed and protected for its historical value.
Inserted discreetly into the plinth of the building, with no visible façade, the large sports building housing two sports halls recedes in order to preserve the historic character of the site while simultaneously densifying the city. A series of light wells created at courtyard level bring natural light into the circulation spaces of the sports hall. This ingenious solution contributes both to the preservation of heritage and to the quality of these underground spaces.
The multifunctional pavilion serves as a covered playground during breaks and as the main entrance to the sports facilities. It strengthens the link between school and sporting activities while also offering additional space for the schoolyard, which becomes an urban park outside teaching hours.
CREDITS
Construction management: Pragma Partenaires
Civil engineering: Schnetzer Puskas
Landscape architect: Paysagestion
MEP and coordination: Energys
Sanitary engineering: B2 Gebäudetechnik
Electrical engineering: Josef Piller
Building physics: Grolimund+Partenaires
Fire safety: Amstein + Walthert
Façade: Sutter Weidner
Signage: Supero
Lighting: Aebischer Bovigny
Photography: Paola Corsini
Construction photography: Marine de Carbonnières
Text: Guillaume Pause
