Completed in the summer of 2020, the elementary school Simone de Beauvoir in Drancy, France, is a fundamental idea. He tells us how the future will have to make architecture converge on function and sustainability. The architects of Bond Society e Daudré-Vignier & Associés have collaborated on this fantastic elementary school which includes 10 classrooms, gathering spaces, a restaurant and a playground.
Light and air in constant motion
The design places emphasis on natural lighting and seamless flow throughout all spaces. An "Open" philosophy that includes fixed furnishings, containers and benches, but it eliminates narrow passages or the massive use of walls to delimit the space.
- architects of primary school have given priority to the health of students and the planet, starting with a careful selection of materials. Wood (and what, if not him?) was used as the main material. Less cement, it's a sponge for CO2 and it's renewable (if you work with caution). Even in the areas where stone was used, however, the materials were purchased nearby, from the Vassens quarries in the Aisne.
More than an elementary school, a gym for the future
The Simone de Beauvoir primary school also has "philosophical" as well as practical aspects. Its positioning creates a gentle but precise separation from the urban chaos: it is oriented towards the internal courtyard, and its greenery eliminates the surrounding distractions of a densely inhabited neighborhood. Once inside, though. the courtyard "looks" at the adjacent La Farandole kindergarten, in an ideal "relay" the children move from one school to another maintaining a sense of familiarity.
It's inside?
Inside the primary school there is a reception room, the administration centre, a large canteen area (indoor and outdoor to take advantage of the good weather) and teaching facilities. Is anything missing? Oh yes. A recreation center, a multipurpose room, a storage room and of course the garden. The garden used as a teaching tool, ideal for a school that teaches children healthy and clean learning.
Good future, outdoors used as a tool for education and for a healthy and clean learning environment.
