JFS architectes unifies school + municipal workshops in paris

jean-françois schmit unifies school + municipal workshops in paris
all images courtesy of jean-françois schmit architects

located on the outskirts of paris in the 19th arrondissement, the project by french studio jean-françois schmit architects combines a school and municipal workshop into one timber-clad volume. alternating between open and closed slats on the exterior façade, the 100 meter long building features a series of swooping, saw-tooth roof forms placed at its peak. the site is surrounded by large housing complexes and interspersed with green landscapes – since 2000, it has been one of eleven major urban renewal project operations in a bid to return safe public facilities to the neighborhood. the school is the first in paris that is able to accommodate all types of disability for both staff and students.

east view of the 100 meter timber-clad volume

the unifying structure made it possible to discreetly incorporate the three main entrances to the workshops, school and service yard, while the municipal technical units were inserted into the free-flowing top part of the structure. the use of timber cladding seeks to provide a warm and welcoming atmosphere from the street, which is enhanced on the inside by an open courtyard space. the classrooms and communal facilities are orientated around this large internal void to provide an uplifting, inward-looking world for the pupils.

the façade consists of open and closed slats and swooping roof forms

view of the south garden positioned beneath the free-flowing roof

the garden courtyard provides an uplifting environment on the building’s interior

view of a classroom space

the municipal workshops are placed in the flowing roof form

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