mikou design studio: the docks school, saint ouen, france

the docks school in saint ouen by mikou design studio all images courtesy mikou design studio

the docks school in saint ouen by mikou design studio is located in the middle of an urban complex composed mainly of high-rise office blocks and housing. the studio created the building to consume zero energy in order to be emblematic of the sustainable development of the zac des docks. it will also be visible because of its roof, a fundamental feature of the project onto which the openings of neighbouring buildings face.

the scheme is in the form of a mass built in stepped tiers on the east, on the main street, which is extended by large canopies and which folds in crosswise strips on the site’s diagonal to face southwards.

the stepped volumes include the following: the primary school, which is arranged in a strip from the ground floor to the second upper floor, connected to its playground by timber-decked walkways which look down onto the primary school garden on the ground floor.

the nursery school, which is arranged in another strip on the first upper floor, connected to its playground by timber-decked walkways which look down onto the nursery school garden on the ground floor.

the cafeteria, which opens both onto the garden on the ground floor and onto the viewpoint on the new road.

the nursery and primary school playgrounds are sheltered by canopies on the south and east on the main street, consisting of glazed photovoltaic panels inclined at 30° and spaced by solid metal strips forming gutters to avoid shadows being cast. these covered playground areas are designed as large semi-transparent bluish canopies descending into tiers from level 3 to level 1 while creating a visual dynamic when viewed from the street.