Ensemble scolaire Joseph Cressot, Joinville, Grand Est region, France

The natural landscape leads the design choices in this proposal for an educational cluster on the hilly landscape of Joinville, in the Haute-Marne department. The program asked to integrate separate facilities for primary and secondary education in the same area, including a shared school restaurant and staff apartments.
Considering the unique location, slightly elevated and overlooking the surroundings, the program is distributed among different low-rise units, each hosting a different age group. The central space is shared and apparently seamless. Each age group, however, has their own playground, separated through subtle height differences.
The large demand for school bus parking is accommodated through a ring road around the complex, providing good circulation as well as safety for the children. Careful use of green hedges and the recourse to austere, almost vernacular forms and materials, ensure a delicate incorporation in the pastoral landscape.

Project information
Country: France
Location: Joinville
Client: Conseil départemental Haute-Marne
Status: Competition entry 
Program: Primary and Secondary Education, Student Housing

Team
Architect: Ector Hoogstad Architecten
Engineering and sustainability: Ingerop
Costs management: Vanguard
Tender management: Visionlab-architeklturexport