New Gex high school

The project is located in the Pays de Gex, one of the most dynamic areas of the Ain and the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region. The geography of the area inspired the morphology of the new lycée, organised in three elongated volumes on east-west axes, with views of the mountains to the north and south. Its sloping sections and broken lines evoke the massifs. Its location helps to preserve local biodiversity. The building is laid out along the contour lines, in strips, to follow the slope of the land and enhance the landscape.

The architectural approach sets the scene for the spaces, opening up generous perspectives for dialogue with the public space and the landscape, and encouraging exchanges between the different teaching streams.

The forecourt offers a view into the heart of the building. The entrance gives a feeling of height and grandeur, with light streaming through both horizontally and vertically. The school unfolds in light and transparency around a hall designed as a forum, a real place for life and meetings. The hall provides access to the three wings of the school (in the shape of a trident), as well as to the upper floors, terraces, playgrounds and the bridge-building with the Fablab, the symbol of the school. The galleries that surround it give users an intuitive understanding of the spaces and, from an architectural point of view, wide, light-filled corridors on three floors, views of all the buildings, the interior gardens and the mountain landscape.

The playgrounds and numerous recreational areas adapt to the diversity of the students, the seasons and the different times of day. Planted with greenery, shaded co-working areas, meadows and views of the mountains, they are organised into several areas depending on the orientation of the building. These spaces are linked by steps and ramps, and are located in the continuity of the hall, on the floors or even on the roof.

Constructed from Alpine wood and dry limestone, this new secondary school is designed to be sustainable. The materials used were chosen with a threefold objective in mind: to ensure that it will evolve over time, to minimise its environmental impact and to optimise its integration into this exceptional site. The building is designed to evolve, and is based on a timber frame that can be reconfigured in the future.