Aeby Perneger & Associés

Description

A neighbourhood school, a public building, a landmark – the project seeks to be all of these at once, with timeless architecture that is animated all day and evening by the rooftop placement of the gymnasiums. The significant space dedicated to non-school users of the gymnasiums overlooking the district and a library that is open to local residents reinforce the public nature of the building. The organisation of the project was motivated by a desire for verticality, minimum excavations and structural simplification. This initial decision led to all subsequent ones, with the size of the sports facility determining the dimensions of the floor plan. Its depth allows for two rows of classrooms while freeing up a central space where cascading flights of stairs unfold. The vertical distribution provides students and teachers with visibility throughout the entire volume and promotes a sense of «living together» and opportunities for improvised educational activities outside the classrooms. The supporting system combines steel, wood and concrete, each used for their intrinsic qualities in the interests of frugality and constructional rationality. Highly economical in materials, this structure reduces the amount of grey energy consumed. Concrete was used for the partial basement and emergency staircases. Steel forms a three-dimensional grid organising the entire volume, while wood in the form of massive slabs fills in the areas defined by the linear structure. The wood comes from the forests of the City of Lausanne.