meier + associés architectes

winner

The new “Le Chaucey” primary school lies parallel to the existing school, with a covered playground linking the two buildings. The playground looks onto the grounds of the Château de Coppet and is sheltered from the north wind by two staggered “screen walls” that mark the main entrance to the school complex.

The ground floor of the new building houses four infants’ classrooms that each extend into “outdoor classrooms” for the youngest children. These outdoor rooms create a transitional space between the playground and the building. On the upper floor, seven identical classroom modules adjoin each other along an internal corridor, with floor-to-ceiling glazing that looks onto the landscape. To the north, a service block accommodates the staircases, cloakrooms and cleaning facilities.

The structure-envelope relationship is conceived in such a way as to use a minimum of materials inside the building, thereby allowing the structure to make its own statement. The transparency of the section through the building reveals its character as a transversal link between the lake and the Jura mountains. The glass curtain wall allows this landscape to be fully enjoyed from every classroom and corridor.

The school is constructed using a concrete lamellar system that defines the classroom spaces, and a wraparound glass outer wall. The separation between classrooms and corridors is achieved with non-structural elements in the form of storage cupboards with overhead windows, in natural beech. The classroom ceilings are also clad in the same wood. All floors are covered in blue linoleum.