School complex composed of a School Group (nursery school with 90 pupils and elementary school with 150 pupils) and a middle school with a capacity of 450 pupils extensible to 600 in Luzech (South West of France).
Since the 13th century, the Lot valley has perpetuated a number of constructive principles based on the values of the territory and common sense: essentially the terraced play related to the topography and an architecture of simple form, compact with the use of local materials: stone, wood ...
The terrain has a steep slope in its west / east orientation (from 122 m to 99 m).
LCR ARCHITECTES sculpted it in 3 terraces structured by large stone walls.
- The first collects the floor of the middle school
- The second, reference level at the break of slope, sees to organize the ground floor of the middle school and the whole school group, imagined around the front parvis in connection with the access road
- The third part in the lower part of the ground gives access to all the technical functions through a service line: supplies, storage, boiler room.
This work to adapt to the high level of altitude makes it possible to provide views at each level towards the great landscape: the castle and the tower of the oppidum and the Impernal, the Chapel of the Penitents and its bell tower, and the church St Peter .
The pedestrian square, space for exchanges and meetings, is secured for the removal of children.
From this space are distributed the college and the schools in a completely independent and clearly identified way although the facades of the college and the school group are in continuity in order to take the place.
The middle school of 450 pupils is organized in R + 1.
The main service is provided by the two-storey inner street, which distributes the different teaching places on both sides. Generously glazed, it allows connections with the landscape. The classrooms are all ideally oriented North and South.
The court space is simple and easy to monitor.
The organization of the school group with a capacity of 240 children is done on one level.
Recreation courses are located in the east with a viewpoint position on the town of Luzech. The building protects them from the prevailing winds.
The shared restaurant is at the interface of the two entities. The dining rooms have generous views on Luzech.
The choice of materials is essentially wood in framework and cladding of the first level of the college, the local limestone for the supports in gabions and cladding of the basement of the ground floor, concrete, black aluminum and glass.
A sober, simple project with an ethnic link to the place.
Vegetated roofs complete the insertion in the site while improving thermal comfort.