Val de Bièvre High School

Gentilly, France

The project derives its identity from the way it renders its environment.

The plot stretches between the town of Gentilly and the Parc Pablo Picasso on a strategic site that allowed us to develop a symbol of public education and an urban project whose strength lies in its visual impact.

As in Reims, the slope of the land allowed you to work around the idea of a base. Seen from the Rue d’Arcueil, the building has a long horizontal slit in it that links the street to the entrance hall, the court and the park beyond. Due to its south-facing location, the court becomes a belvedere looking out over the park. 

The project is based on the principle of an “active” base. The mineral base embeds it in the city soil, encompasses the buildings that have been preserved, guides the pedestrians and gives a human scale to the project. The resulting building is a hybridisation of the parameters of its urban context and its own objectives.

Program
Renovation + extension of a high school

Location 
15 Rue Arcueil
Gentilly, France

Schedule
Competition: 2010

Client
Région Île-de-France + Essonne Aménagement

Project management
Lead architect: Hamonic+Masson & Associés

Engineering
All trades: SIBAT

Floor Area
11 113 m²

Team
Lisa Cépisul