SCHOOL IN LILLE
The starting point – the ROAD.
If a new through road had not been essential to the regeneration of a socially deprived area on the south edge of Lille, this project would have never existed. It cut the existing school in half, turned it inside out, and what had been closed became open.
The road is the occasion; the opportunity to ask what is a school for kids? Today?
At the heart of the school is the principal space for children – the main reading room and storytelling area (which also incorporates the main circulation space). Its folded roof creates spaces of different heights below for activities and groups of different sizes and ages – from low, cosy and intimate to tall, large and airy.
Outside is a playful play area animated by trees and plants.
The school is an emblem of the area, its bright red colourful entries a local landmark along the road. The remaining elevations dissolve into the landscape of a large public Park/Campus.
In addition to the reinforced insulation of the renovated buildings, sheds and skylights enhance the new classrooms. The new dining areas are completely opened to the outdoors.