Article source: Dominique Coulon & associés

The building marks the entrance to a small village nestling in a valley in Alsace. A 14^th-century castle dominates the site from the nearby hillside. The day nursery echoes the orthonormal geometry of the fortified castle. A perimeter wall with openings like on a castle wall protects the children’s playgrounds. This spatial arrangement offers views of the rounded outlines of the Vosges mountains. The principle of the strictly rectangular plan is an arrangement of successive crowns containing the elements of the project. These layers give depth to the project overall. The heart of the building is formed by a central space which emerges at double the height and plays with natural light like a kaleidoscope. This almost cubic volume condenses a host of faces ranging in colour from pink to red. The matte and shiny colours resonate, shaping the space to make it richer and more subtle.

Image Courtesy © Eugeni Pons

• Architects: Dominique Coulon & associés, , David Romero-Uzeda, Olivier Nicollas
• Project: Nursery in Buhl
• Location: Buhl, France
• Photography: Eugeni Pons, David Romero-Uzeda
• Client: CC Région de Guebwiller
• Architectes assistants: Javier Gigosos Ruipérez, Diego Bastos-Romero, Gautier Duthoit
• Construction site supervision: David Romero-Uzeda
• Structural Engineer: Batiserf
• Cost Estimator: E3 économie
• Acoustics: Euro sound project
• Landscaping: Philippe Obliger
• Construction companies: Earthworks, sewerage networks and road works (S.T.P. MADER), concrete stucture (MADER), water proofing roofing (SMAC), exterior joinery (MENUISERIE VOLLMER ET FILS), metalworks(MULLER-ROST), exterior isolation (SOMREN), scaffolding (LOC’ECHAF), interior wood work and furniture (HUNSINGER), plastering (SOMEGYPS), concrete screed (MADER), tiled floors (MULTISOLS), glued floors (HERTZOG), painting (SOMREN), green areas (PARCS ET JARDINS B.WITTERSHEIM), electricity (VINCENTZ), heating and ventilation (MAISON XAVIER FRUH), plombing and drainage (LABEAUNE), kitchen (M.E.A.)
• Surface: 763m2
• Schedule:
  • Competition: march 2013
  • Construction documents: from may 2013 to november 2013
  • Construction works: from february 2014 to june 2015
  • Completion: june 2015
• Budget: 1 700 000 €
• Software used: Vectorworks, cinema 4d, vrai, adobe cc suite

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