Claudine Hermann School / SAM architecture

Site Integration - The school complex appears in the landscape with a controlled formal and material duality: The classrooms appear in the form of monolithic pavilions that rhythmically shape the landscape with a sequential façade, both dynamic and systematic, offering a different appearance from every viewpoint, sometimes massive, sometimes transparent. The facades, made of in-situ tinted concrete that gives off a warm and welcoming appearance, are then sandblasted after pouring to expose aggregates, in certain places, thus controlling the final quality. The pavilion classrooms emerge from the ground like rocks–raw, noble and timeless. Shared spaces, including the after-school center, the restaurant, and the main hall of the school complex, are revealed under significant aluminum roofs that guide the visitor toward the entrances. Thus, the proposed architecture for the different volumes distinguishes between reserved spaces dedicated exclusively to learning and shared, multi-purpose spaces intended for all neighborhood residents. In this sense, it respects the urban hierarchy known and recognizable to all, in which public facilities punctuate the urban landscape within a uniform mass of buildings for private use.