The Simone-Veil School Complex, a project by Gaëtan Le Penhuel & Associés, in Tremblay-en-France. VLADIMIR DE MOLLERAT DU JEU
In French architecture, schools – due to their relatively minimal design regulations – seem to be replacing housing as the public institutions most likely to get a revamp. Now, a school complex in the Paris suburb of Tremblay-en-France has won the prestigious Equerre d'Argent architecture award – highlighting the trend of rethinking how these spaces function and interact with society.
The Equerre d'Argent – perhaps the most respected award in French architecture – is handed out each year by a jury of professionals. Also announced this week were the award for best work and five additional distinctions.
By honoring the Simone-Veil School Complex, the jury of the 43rd edition of the ceremony recognized the partnership between the city and private architects at the firm Gaëtan Le Penhuel & Associés. Their joint project, launched in response to a call for proposals by the Créteil district inviting teachers to "rethink the school," sought to imagine new ways of thinking about how teaching, learning and living interact in an educational setting.
The project, which features a diversity of materials including load-bearing stone, timber and clay, was built around a central idea: that of shared spaces between the school and the recreation center. This approach allowed for larger classrooms with direct access to the outdoors, as well as much larger common areas suitable for all sorts of activities (broad corridors lined with large alcoves that can serve as informal classrooms, a central roundabout, a rooftop sports hall, etc.).
