Banlay enhanced school - Nevers

The project design has two main objectives. On the one hand, to preserve the memory of the original school in order to facilitate integration into the Banlay neighbourhood and build trust among families. On the other hand, to offer modern facilities, both in terms of the use and quality of its spaces and the image it projects to the public.
The materials used – plaster for the existing structure and wood for the extensions – highlight this duality between existing and added elements, providing a form of education through architecture. Aimed at stimulating pupils’ curiosity, the clarity of the conceptual logic guides them in their reasoning and makes them active participants in their own learning. The façade has been designed to ensure the cohesion of the entire project.
The project aims to strengthen the sense of belonging to the region, on several levels, for the school and its users. The landscape design is intended as an invitation to explore and (re)discover different natural spaces evoking the grand landscape of the Loire.

The scale of the main extension, in dialogue with the street, echoes the scale of the Banlay residential area in order to establish continuity with the surrounding neighbourhood and gently support the integration of (future) schoolchildren.
The fragmentation of this extension (different roof levels, raised roof at the entrance, recesses in certain places) visually creates the impression of a group of small buildings and reinforces the feeling of a human-scale facility, conducive to socialisation among families dropping off or picking up their children.
The general layout of the buildings, by creating an interior space, resembles several small village squares, helping schoolchildren to learn how to live together. The structure of the outdoor spaces – simply suggested by circular playgrounds in Nevers blue – and the way they interact with the topography encourage the pupils’ desire to explore and take ownership of their environment.