Arch2O.com

Arch2O.com - Architecture & Design Magazine
The ?Simone Veil? schools in Colombes 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.
Courtesy of Dominique Coulon & associ̩s РPhotographs : Eugeni Pons, David Romero-Uzeda, Guillaume Wittmann
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.
Courtesy of Dominique Coulon & associ̩s РPhotographs : Eugeni Pons, David Romero-Uzeda, Guillaume Wittmann 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.
Courtesy of Dominique Coulon & associ̩s РPhotographs : Eugeni Pons, David Romero-Uzeda, Guillaume Wittmann
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 co...