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Architects: Hamonic + Masson architects ; Landscape architects: Gilot / Mandel
- Area: 1566 m²
- Year: 2009
- Photographs: Herve Abbadie
Text description provided by the architects. Old stone walls and towering Parisian apartment blocks enclose this deep, irregular plot, acting as a setting for this gem-like elementary school. Playfully twisting through the site, the building’s serpentine form creates a dense series of courtyards and classrooms, leaving no corner unused.
The choice of rich materials, bright colours and playful forms leaves users with a lasting impression, forming an identity for the school through its unique architecture. Central to this architecture is the serpentine circulation spine, stretching from the street through to the very rear of the site and wrapped in a serigraphed glass cladding that provides a game of transparency and reflection.
The bamboo stem motif cheekily mimics the true landscaping works throughout the project: the vegetalised party walls, grassy mounds on the first floor and the educational garden on the third. This last space allows the two apartments (one for the guardian, the other for the school’s principal) to be pulled back from the street facade, recreating a urban setting three floors above road level.
