International project
Saint Denis School
MAKING
STATEMENT
Niki de Saint-Phalle – Petits Cailloux in Saint Denis, France, is
composed of a nursery with eight classrooms, a primary school
with ten classrooms, a school cafeteria and a recreation centre. The
building has three levels and a basement which contains a service
room.
F
or an equal allocation of the access and connections to the
different units, the construction site has been divided into
six parts: three outdoor (entrance, nursery playground and
primary playground) and three indoor (nursery school,
primary school and school cafeteria with recreation centre).
From this division results a clover-shaped building that
offers, in addition to convergent and economic corridors,
a perfect connection between the inside and the outside
(many views, points of access and an intuitive orientation)
Architectural concept
Inside the building, considering the teaching difference between the
nursery school and the primary school, the architects developed two
spatial designs as different as the right brain can be from the left. Our
brain hemispheres are symmetrical, but not identical, because of their
distinct vital functions. This building is symmetrical, however, only
in appearance. The fact of entering the school in diapers and leaving
knowing how to read, arithmetic, science, and geography, perfectly
illustrates how huge the gap is between these two aspects of schooling.
The nursery classrooms are systematically composed of three circular
spaces with three different diameters and ceiling height. The primary
classrooms are square shaped with a side completely “vitrée” (made
of glass?). The pore spaces between the circles are used for storage
allowing more area for the classrooms.
The multi-purpose nursery room is circular with a half spherical
ceiling and the primary one is square with a pyramidal ceiling. These
two huge spaces open onto the playgrounds and benefit from large
overhead lighting. Also by opening onto the corridors, they contribute
to the natural indoor lighting and the ease of orientation in the
building with the transparencies between the inside and the outside.
africandesignmagazine.com
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