recycled door frames clad this kindergarten in paris designed by BFV architectes

a design that makes more with less. that’s the concept behind ‘crèche justice’ designed by BFV architectes in north-western paris. the project involved the design of two kindergartens to accommodate 99 and 40 children respectively. 

images by côme bocabeille

to take ‘making more with less’ from concept to reality, BFV designed the kindergartens with a higher environmental performance, an efficient use of floor area, a better management of investment and maintenance costs, the use of reclaimed materials, and with a concern for the landscape. with these aspirations of sustainability in mind, the distinguishing feature of the design comes in the second skin that wraps the buildings, which is made up of recycled wooden door frames.  

to create this second skin, the construction team painstakingly took apart old doors and reclaimed the wood to build new frames. they then fixed the frames onto the elevations, with a steel structure underneath, giving the building a unique appearance and sense of lightness and openness. inside, the interior is kept minimal and functional with just a hint of decoration in the row of reclaimed gold doorknobs. on top of crèche justice, a green rooftop generates a new landscape in which the building itself is perceived as part of a garden.

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project info:

project name: crèche justice

program: kindergartens for 99 and 40 children

location: 21/29 rue de la justice, paris, france

client: mairie de paris

architect: BFV architectes

technical consultant: berim

acoustics: acoustique vivie 

engineering: boyer

recycling advice: bellastock

landscape: laure planchais

area: 12,895 ft2 (1,198 m2)

year: 2020 

photography: côme bocabeille

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.