archi5 strategically unites two high school campuses in france
photography by sergio grazia

 

 

 

in the city of gisors, france, the architects at archi5 have united two secondary schools together in a project which sees the re-establishment of the connection between two separate campuses. the louis michel and louis aragon high schools are situated in a location with a rich historical background, the existing campuses have been extended and a new cafeteria, student housing and sports hall have been added.

 

despite the two schools being adjacent to one another, there is a fair amount of distance between them. post-construction, the architects have strategically put in place a clearer design, enabling the connecting routes from both campuses to be more accessible and safer for the students. a focus of the new campus is the bridge building, the form of the structures- shaped like a typical house and internally, the spaces serve as student residences and study rooms. furthermore, with the long ramped walkways, it acts as a link that joins the two schools together- forming a path between the playgrounds of louise michel school and louis aragon thus, unifying the two institutions. 

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 the bridge building has become a distinctive icon representing the new high school
image © sergio grazia

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a room in the bridge building
image © sergio grazia

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image © sergio grazia

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the louis aragon school hall acts as the new central point of the new high schools
image © sergio grazia

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the new gymnasium 
image © sergio grazia

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image © sergio grazia

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the staggered roof highlights a more contemporary design for a school
image © sergio grazia

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image © sergio grazia

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image © sergio grazia

 

 

project info:

 

location: gisors, france
program: rehabilitation and extension of the high schools. restaurant, student
housings, sports hall.
environmental specifications: low consumption building b class
surface: 19 150 m² refurbished. 6 400 m² of new buildings.
cost: 24 451 497 € excl. tax.
timetable: competition prize winner july 2010 – ongoing works – completion oct.
2015
client: haute normandie district
architects: archi5prod
engineer: egis centre ouest
structure engineer: egis centre ouest
photographer: sergio grazia
mission: mission de base + exe et synthèse