École Á Énergie Positive / Gemaile RECHAK Architecte

Located in an area registered for the Protection of Historic Monuments, this project required Gemaile RECHAK Architecte to sensitively insert their design into a context that is both varied and expressive in its materials, sizes and construction.

Project description, images, and drawings following the break.

Architect: Gemaile RECHAK Architecte
Location: Breteuil, France
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Pierre-Yves Brunaud

The contemporary architecture of this new nursery school extends the existing urban style and establishes a relationship between the materials, the contextual geometry, and the surrounding buildings. The completed school consist of four classrooms, a courtyard and ancillary rooms.

In an effort to maximize its microclimate, this compact and graphic design is closed on the North side and open to the South. The closed side gives the pupils privacy from the street, while the open side looks onto a pleasant courtyard. Additionally, the bay windows are tripled glazed with argon strips to prevent against overheating in the summer months. These features complement the copper roof with photovoltaic panels, which currently produce more energy than is used.

The classrooms are regularly bathed in natural light thanks to the raising of the roof, which, by bending, attracts light from the East and North.