ArchShowcase Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Angela Davis School in Bezons, France by archi5June 25th, 2018 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: archi5 The construction of the new Angela Davis school in Bezons takes part in the creation of the new city center. The project, by its function of active urban facility is a key part of this city center. The goal of this construction is double: it must be a functionnal and sustainable public facility and also a milestone of this new neighbourhood. The school plot is an important link wetween the new center and the rest of the city.
On the east side, the one story building with its vegetated roof evokes the roofs of the surrounding houses. The school integrates itself softly to the existing urban grid. The landscape is prolongated all along the plot to the South until the Edouard Vaillant street and come inside the school under the zinc North façade. The stone elevation creates inaccessible terraces reminiscent of suspended dry stone gardens and creates the promontory of the elementary school courtyard. This mineral stratification reminds castles, an évoque un château fort, a reassuring and timeless building, full of nature. The new school has a urban façade on Francis de Pressensé path with transparency on ground floor and suspended zinc «box» on first floor. The bridge over the entrance spans the planted walkway which is integrated to the building as a natural protection and presence behind the façade. The rows of high plane trees on South and North are preserved, prolonging the park on E. vaillant street. On the secondary path, the façade is carefully designed with a succession of aluminum vertical pieces, playing with sunlight. The entrance space is large and sheltered, shared between infant and elementary school. With the nature coming inside the school through this entrance, the pupils are feeling protected, imagination is smoothly taking place. The refectory of each school are both on the ground floor but independant. The multimedia pole is located just between infant and elementary and keeps its autonomy. In addition to the pedagogic garden, there is a greenhouse on first floor, permitting to make gardening pedagogic activities all year. All circulations are naturally lit through large and coloured windows. Real materials, durable and robust are used. The courtyard façades are cladded with Larch wood and protected from rain by a roof overhang. This envelop is also efficient, airtight, and its conception includes a maximal insulation to minimize energy losses. The rainwater management is optimized with vegetated roof and terraces. All windows and doors are wood and aluminum. Thermal inertia of the building, strengthened by its concrete base, is valued by night ventilation for summer comfort. The pedagogic greenhouse is used to pre-heat the school air during winter. Build Angela Davis school is write a new page of Bezons’s history. In addition to integrating the urban options of this new borough, we propose to extend them and add ours, to enrich and bring an ambitious renewal for the city. This school keeps the promise of simple and clear daily operation, a sustainable building. It will be a learning place which will leave its place to the imagination. Contact archi5
Categories: Building, Playground, School, space |