The ‘Simone Veil’ group of schools forms a structural element in the urban composition of the new eco-neighbourhood. It is tightly embedded in the dense urban fabric, opposite a park and straddling the maintenance workshops for the new tram line.

The building is on three levels. The plot of land is small, and the roof areas are used to house the elementary school’s classrooms and educational gardens. The group also includes a sports hall, a canteen, a library, and out-of-school childcare facilities. The building is very thick; the hollows scooped out of the facades serve as facets, attracting the light and reflecting it back. Many of the traffic routes are lateralised, making them varied and bright. A number of patios irrigate the heart of the building, bringing natural light into its thickness. Internal transparencies add extra richness to traffic routes.

On the town side, the building offers a rustic texture. Strips of untreated wood (with the bark left on) emphasise the corresponding roughness. The ground floor has the advantage of transparency through the covered courtyard, offering a glimpse of the multi-coloured playground, which is intended to be a very autonomous and artificial universe. The bright colours transform the space, expanding it to create a place for educational stimulation.

This project avoids all form of repetition. The light, the materials used, and the traffic routes create micro-events. These fragments come together in a joyful chaos.

Client : Ville de Colombes

Architect : Dominique Coulon & associés
Architects : Dominique Coulon, Olivier Nicollas
Architects assistants : Guillaume Wittmann, Emilie Brichard, Jean Scherer, David Romero-Uzeda

Engineers and consultants :
Structural Engineer : Batiserf Ingénierie
Electrical Engineer : BET G.Jost
Mechanical Plumbing Engineer : Solares Bauen
Cost Estimator : E3 économie
Acoustics : Euro Sound Project
Ergonomist : Defacto
Kitchen expert : Ecotral
Landscape : Bruno Kubler

Program :
Elementary school12 classrooms / Nursery school 9 classrooms / CLSH Nursery / CLSH Elementary / Dinning room / Sports hall

Address : 3 rue Marguerite Yourcenar, 92700 Colombes / GPS location : 48.914625, 2.226837

Surface : 7600m2
Budget : 16 300 000 € H.T

Schedule :
Competition : december 2010
Plans and technical phases : from march 2011 to july 2012
Construction : from january 2013 to august 2015

Construction companies :
Structure, Earthworks, water proofing roofing, elevator, metal works : SNRB
Facades : SEE SIMEONI
Exterior joinery : HUNSINGER
Interior joinery : MILLET
Wood floors : PRODESIGN
Heating, ventilation, plombing : BRUNIER
Electricity : REZZA
Photovoltaic systems : SOLSTYCE

Photography :
Eugeni Pons, Guillaume Wittmann, David Romero-Uzeda

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Simone Veil's group of schools in Colombes

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Simone Veil's group of schools in Colombes

Colombes, France

Other Projects by Dominique Coulon & Associés

‘Charles Aznavour’ conservatoire of music, theatre and dance in Montigny-le-Bretonneux

Swimming pool complex in Fondettes

Current music scene, Youth and cultural center and library in Rennes. France

‘Jeanne-Marie’ home for people suffering from mental disorders, in Still

Animu Media Library

‘Moulon’ school group in Gif-sur-Yvette

'Simone Veil' group of schools in Villejuif

‘Pierre Bottero’ media library and park in Pélissanne

'Olympe de Gouges' group of schools

Bloom Coffee shop

School group René Beauverie

Group of schools

University canteen

High school

Kindergarten

Nursing Home and Hospital extension

High school

Theatre

Nursery

Saint-Jean group of schools

Simone Veil's group of schools in Colombes

Colombes, France

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team

Articles