Dominique Coulon & Associés

"Olympe de Gouges" Group of Schools

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© Clement Guillaume

"OLYMPE DE GOUGES" GROUP OF SCHOOLS

DOMINIQUE COULON & ASSOCIÉS

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Batiserf

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER
Bet G.jost

PLUMBING ENGINEER
Solares Bauen

LANDSCAPE
Bruno Kubler

CONSTRUCTION SITE SUPERVISION
Margot Machin

MECHANICAL ENGINEER
Solares Bauen

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Dominique Coulon, Olivier Nicollas, Margot Machin, Javier Gigosos- Ruipérez, Ali Ozku, Diego Bastos-romero

COST ESTIMATOR
E3 Economie

ACOUSTICIAN
Ingemansson France

COORDINATION
Mgb-cpc

MANUFACTURERS
Barco, Gauthier, Groupe Benard, Neyrat, Thyssen, Vinet

KITCHEN EXPERT
És Energies

AREA
3364 m²

YEAR
2019

LOCATION
Gidy, France

CATEGORY
Elementary & Middle School

Text description provided by architect.

The school group consists of fourteen classes, located on the edge of fields north of the village of Gidy, not far from Orleans.

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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume

It meets the need to create places in nursery and primary education that has resulted from an increase in the local population.

This large building does not fall within the standards for urban architecture. Its village atmosphere is achieved by applying volumetric arrangements that make the building appear smaller than it is.

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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume

The outdoor areas are divided into a number of layers. The line of the car parking area follows that of the forecourt, which blends into the wood, creating a link between the wood and the school’s playgrounds, providing not only a transitional link in terms of landscape but also an educational link.

The two playgrounds, placed alongside each other, open out towards the village of Gidy and the broader landscape.

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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume

They are designed to extend the geometric line of the building, providing two separate entrances to the school from the street, on two levels:

the nursery school is on the first level, the primary school on the second.

The proportions of the street vary constantly; it is positioned diagonally and has the advantage of natural light.

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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume

The irregularities break the hard line of the traffic route as the area expands in terms of both ground plan and cross-section, thereby offering interesting routes and alternating views to the outside.

The same principle is applied to the classrooms: they are designed as small houses, of differing sizes, and each one faces in two directions.

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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume

On the upper level, the classrooms open onto a terrace, an arrangement that also makes outdoor educational activities possible.

The other elements in the programme, including the canteen, restrooms and the library, are distributed around the building, adding to its visual depth.

As a result, the multipurpose hall is totally open to traffic, again allowing space to expand, as the play of transparency allows the building to be read on a number of levels.

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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume

These arrangements ensure that the building has the great advantage of providing the children with markers: they are able to appropriate the different areas and feel comfortable in them.

By seeking to create indeterminate places, the building avoids having areas with a single function and is able to offer greater flexibility:

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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume

as a result, the schools create places that are more open and more individual.


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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume
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© Clement Guillaume


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Site plan
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Ground floor plan
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Floor plan level 1
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Roof plan


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Elevations
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Sections

Dominique Coulon & Associés
T +33 3 88321761
Dominique Coulon & Associés
13 Rue de la Tour des Pecheurs, 67000 Strasbourg, France