ALTA Architectes - Urbanistes

La Providence High School

La Providence High School
© Charly Broyez

LA PROVIDENCE HIGH SCHOOL

Alta

ARCHITECTS
Alta

WATERPROOFING, PLUMBING, HEATING AND VENTILATION,
Mahey

ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT
Lustr’elec

GROUND WORKS
Colas

MANUFACTURERS
Degano, Fougeray, Kone, Manivel

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Cnr

EXTERIOR WOODWORK
Alu Rennais

CLADDING
Quemard

INTERIOR WOODWORK
Binois

METAL WORKS
Carlo

PHOTOGRAPHS
Charly Broyez

AREA
5600 M²

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Saint-malo, France

CATEGORY
Elementary & Middle School

La Providence High School
© Charly Broyez
La Providence High School
© Charly Broyez

Text description provided by architect.

The project, located on the street of La Croix Desille, is an educational establishment divided into 3 entities: a post-baccalaureate establishment with 6 classes for 150 students and a cafeteria on the ground floor; a high school with 10 classes with technical and administrative facilities for 350 students; and a sports hall.

La Providence High School
© Charly Broyez
La Providence High School
© Charly Broyez

These three entities, distributed over two floors, form a single building gravitating around an atrium covered by a glass roof.

This central space is a reference to the glass-covered foyer of the "mother house", the Institution in Intramuros, a real meeting place, a place of conviviality, where everything happens.

The project is part of the iconic writing of Malo identity: as it is a partially "professional" high school dedicated to construction techniques, two architectural elements are highlighted: two large beams that carry all the floors and facades of the equipment.

La Providence High School
© Charly Broyez
La Providence High School
© Charly Broyez
La Providence High School
© Charly Broyez

The W-shaped structure reproduces the image of port cranes; the shed glass roof is in keeping with the architectural identity of the buildings that can be seen around the port of Saint-Malo.

The atrium distributes the entire program from the corridors and walkways.

La Providence High School
© Charly Broyez
La Providence High School
© Charly Broyez

It acts as a buffer space, allowing the regulation of the climatic atmosphere of the building (solar contribution in winter, cooling, and natural ventilation in summer).

The CDI, the administration, the school life premises, the sports room, and the cafeteria are grouped together on the ground floor; the two floors bring together the classrooms and the different areas/workshops linked to the vocational baccalaureate specializations.

La Providence High School
© Charly Broyez
La Providence High School
© Charly Broyez

The gymnasium, a space dedicated to the high school and the agglomeration, hosts on the first-floor multi-sports (basketball, handball, volleyball, badminton ...) and upstairs a weight room and a climbing wall.

The architecture continues the W-shaped structural motif, allowing the built volume to be suspended and freeing up total transparency of the sports field towards the outside.

The emphasis was placed on the quality and durability of the materials. In the search for a refined style, we wanted to limit the multiplication of colors and materials.

La Providence High School
© Charly Broyez
La Providence High School
© Charly Broyez
La Providence High School
© Charly Broyez

Thus, the single white color allows the living and active elements of the place to be highlighted: the natural light, the trees, and plantations, but above all the students themselves.

The project takes advantage of the presence of existing trees of various species that border the avenue, not as a dimensional constraint but as a revelation of the landscape identity that allows a balanced dialogue between the project and the future development of the "campus" district.

La Providence High School
© Charly Broyez


La Providence High School
Location


La Providence High School
Axo section
La Providence High School
Section


La Providence High School
Ground floor plan
La Providence High School
Floor plan
La Providence High School
Floor plan
La Providence High School
Floor plan


La Providence High School
Axo
La Providence High School
Elevations

ALTA Architectes - Urbanistes
T +34 2 99263326
ALTA Architectes - Urbanistes
22 Av. Henri Fréville, 35200 Rennes, France