![Benfeld Aristide Briand Primary School / Lionel Debs Architectures - Image 1 of 21](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/55f2/2dbc/e58e/ce3c/0600/01d1/medium_jpg/portada_04_EntranceHall_PhotoLDA.jpg?1441934770)
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Architects: Lionel Debs Architectures
- Area: 1500 m²
- Year: 2015
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Photographs:Emmanuel Kuhn
![Benfeld Aristide Briand Primary School / Lionel Debs Architectures - Windows, Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/55f2/2c1d/e58e/ce9c/4e00/01b4/newsletter/02_BackFacade_PhotoLDA.jpg?1441934356)
Text description provided by the architects. Aristide Briand Primary School is located in the historical city center of Benfeld, a small city of 5.000 inhabitants in the East of France.
![Benfeld Aristide Briand Primary School / Lionel Debs Architectures - Image 4 of 21](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/55f2/2c72/e58e/ce9c/4e00/01b6/newsletter/07_Circulation_PhotoEmmanuelKuhn.jpg?1441934438)
The school takes place in a middle-aged dense urban fabric, with plenty of historical buildings, also really crowded especially during the weekly fruit market.
![Benfeld Aristide Briand Primary School / Lionel Debs Architectures - Image 17 of 21](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/55f2/2e70/e58e/ce9c/4e00/01c3/newsletter/03_1F_copy.jpg?1441934943)
Due to a lack of space to welcome the 300 subscribed children, the City decided to organize an architecture competition in order to renovate the whole existing building and to add a new building with extra classrooms, a new entrance lobby and a shared multi-functional hall.
![Benfeld Aristide Briand Primary School / Lionel Debs Architectures - Windows, Door](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/55f2/2cfb/e58e/ce3c/0600/01ca/newsletter/10_SportHall_PhotoEmmanuelKuhn.jpg?1441934576)
A large series of specific constraints acted directly on the project: the high level of the water table and the low ground bearing capacity leaded to a precise location of the project with adapted bedrocks. Besides, the historical context and the city regulation implied to limit the building height and to propose a smooth visual link to the neighborhood.
![Benfeld Aristide Briand Primary School / Lionel Debs Architectures - Stairs, Windows, Handrail](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/55f2/2c2c/e58e/ce3c/0600/01c4/newsletter/03_EntranceHall_PhotoEmmanuelKuhn.jpg?1441934368)
The new building is connected to the existing one on its edge offering the entrance hall to be at the crossroads of every people flow and creating a link between the market place at the East and the gardens on the opposite side.
![Benfeld Aristide Briand Primary School / Lionel Debs Architectures - Image 20 of 21](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/55f2/2ec6/e58e/ce9c/4e00/01c6/newsletter/05_Section_copy.jpg?1441935029)
The wide see-through entrance hall welcomes a monolithic concrete stair to reach all the levels of both the new and existing buildings. On the ground floor, the children have access to the shared part of the school : the multi-functional hall and the computer room. All the classrooms are located in the upper levels as a cantilever over the cover yard.
![Benfeld Aristide Briand Primary School / Lionel Debs Architectures - Table, Chair](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/55f2/2cd6/e58e/ce3c/0600/01c9/medium_jpg/09_Classroom_PhotoLDA.jpg?1441934538)
Inside as outside, the project is defined by a relationship between noble and raw materials : concrete, natural wood elements, woodfiber ceiling panels for inside, handmade bricks, wood panels and matt lacquered aluminium for the façades and natural zinc for the rooffing.
![Benfeld Aristide Briand Primary School / Lionel Debs Architectures - Windows, Beam, Handrail, Deck](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/55f2/2d9d/e58e/ce3c/0600/01d0/newsletter/14_Terrasse_PhotoEmmanuelKuhn.jpg?1441934739)
Two wide 30-meter-long skylight windows on the roof bring a very big amount of natural light into the building. It is also an easy way to ventilate naturaly the classrooms during the summer.
![Benfeld Aristide Briand Primary School / Lionel Debs Architectures - Windows, Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/55f2/2c10/e58e/ce3c/0600/01c3/newsletter/01_MainFacade_PhotoEmmanuelKuhn.jpg?1441934342)