A politically committed and militant project!

Without artifice, the project chooses to highlight natural resources, bio-sourced and local. The timber comes from the nearby spruce forests, sawn and cut by the students of the technical school of wood, implemented by a committed and local company. Almost anecdotal but voluntarist, the project located in the Bugey massif summons the Hauteville stone once used to build Lyon, in a raw and expressive implementation to sit down and take off the building.

In the DRC, the base as emanation of the rocky soil, expresses this minerality through the dialogue of a clear concrete and the Hauteville stone. The program, placed on this base, is all wood, local spruce when it is protected, douglas fir when it is exposed to the vertical and chestnut on the horizontal.

Technically, a wood pellet boiler supplies the building and a wood dryer. A technical gallery, backed by land, contains the electrical pathways, fluids and networks of dual flow ventilation – a pragmatic device that saves the project of any plenum.

Text provided by the architects.

The classrooms’ street crosses through the entire facility from east to west, forming another axis structuring the school. Split in two by the interior play area, each part of the axis is embellished with four classrooms and patios. There is a vestibule/cloakroom at each classroom entrance and stands for games, which can be used for pedagogical or playful purposes.

At the intersection of the two axes that structure the school, a large interior play area serves as the genuine central area of the establishment, increasing the number of possible uses. This multi-purpose space can be used in the morning and evening to welcome preschoolers, in addition to the multi-purpose rooms and motricity rooms. In case of heavy rain, it complements the exterior playground but also hosts exhibitions and shows.

The dual-aspect classrooms benefit from multiple sources of natural light and very good ventilation. Their positioning between patios to the north and the school playground to the south ensures different ambiances in the same classroom. To the north, with light pouring in from the patio, a shared space built of wood between two classes creates a peaceful and calm area. To the south, the largest volume of the classes directly overlooking the playground is more collective. Each classroom also benefits from a ‘private’ play area overlooking the ‘common’ playground.

This shaded area improves flows between the interior and exterior, becoming a real extension of the classrooms. The playground, situated to the south and shaded by a line of trees, is shared between kindergarten and elementary classes. A genuine green setting, it is an ideal framework for the discovery of nature and outdoor games. A space dedicated to biodiversity, laid out on the roof, completes the exterior spaces made available. It includes tubs for growing vegetables and large picnic tables, favoring teaching activities related to the natural world. Finally, the playing field will also be accessible during recreation times, thus encouraging the practice of physical activities.

By definition, a school building must make its commitment to the environment visible. This principle has been applied to the project in both the choice of materials and the functioning of the building. The school’s load-bearing stone façades come from the Bonneuil-en-Valois quarry, located less than 60km from the construction site. Its thickness ensures the building’s thermal inertia while enhancing the value of the facility’s sculpted volumes. Between the classrooms, mud bricks are added to the wooden structure, increasing the visibility of natural and bio-sourced materials in the building’s construction.

The patios embellish and punctuate the common areas to the extent that all the spaces of the project benefit from very good natural lighting, fresh air, and comfortable humidity. Their placement naturally ventilates all the areas designed for children, as well as the common areas, which can then become genuine inhabited places and learning areas. The roof of the sporting area is equipped with photovoltaic panels producing more energy than the building consumes. The rest of the roof is planted, which improves thermal performance and total rainwater retention, while also providing inhabitants of the neighborhood with attractive views.

Text provided by the architects.

Modular timber construction was the natural choice for this project. The school was built by assembling prefabricated elements, allowing for rapid assembly and leaving the possibility of dismantling, reconfiguration or recycling with minimal waste. The prefabricated wooden pavilion rests delicately on masonry bases, which allow
the structure to be raised slightly and ensure optimal ventilation. The heating system is integrated directly into the floor elements. The prefabricated wooden walls, which have fire-retardant properties, delimit the classroom spaces around the central core.
The structure is reinforced by a system of solid wooden posts and slender metal posts supporting the eaves along the edge of the covered gallery.

The large glass façades provide a direct visual connection to the park and a quality of light that is favourable for classroom activities. Each room has dual orientation and direct access to the outside. The gallery surrounding the building provide a buffer zone with the outside and form effective sunshades to prevent overheating during periods of high heat. Despite its temporary nature, the pavilion offers high-quality, comfortable teaching spaces that comply with current standards.

This project was carried out thanks to close collaboration between the project owner, the architect and partner contractors. Smooth communication and coordination between the various parties involved enabled this ambitious project to be completed within a very short timeframe. The speed of design and construction, with two months of construction work for each floor, made it possible to address the saturation of existing school facilities and growing demographic pressure.

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A Contemporary Rural Identity
The materials of the extension reflect a layered duality.
At ground level, the mass of the concrete base forms a protective plinth that echoes the village’s stone architecture. The walls are bush-hammered to develop a texture and patina that harmonize with the surrounding masonry. Concrete is also used for its structural strength, allowing a span of over fifteen meters so that the library’s boundary disappears entirely when the folding doors are opened.
The upper level is built with a wooden post-and-beam structure, adding lightness while allowing for overhangs and discreet rainwater management. The metal roof adjusts to the neighboring parcel’s geometry, sloping gently toward the square and reducing the volume’s scale near the historic chapel.
In contrast with the chapel’s opaque façade, the library emphasizes horizontal transparency with large windows that invite residents to enter and take part in this new cultural energy.

Interior bias
The interior spaces are designed with clarity and restraint. The library’s identity emerges from its raw materials and the legibility of its construction.
At ground level, the exterior paving continues inside, leading to a central service spine marked by concrete columns. This zone includes restrooms, reception, vertical circulation, and technical rooms. Wood infill is used to enclose these spaces, incorporate built-in furniture, and route utility networks. This alternating rhythm creates a flexible, modular layout.
Upstairs, timber portals align with the window frames and guide views toward the village square below. The ceiling structure—comprising pine rafters and panels—forms the underside of a calm reading area.
The central service spine continues on the upper level, integrating more technical spaces. Wood paneling is used throughout, creating a warm, uniform backdrop that highlights the books and cultural displays. The upper floor thus has a distinct identity, offering a contrast to the ground level and enabling varied atmospheres within the same building.
The Saint-Joseph Chapel has been fully restored: the main vaults reinforced, and new tension rods with hidden anchor plates installed. A patina wash was applied to the interior walls, restoring visual coherence while preserving the original stone texture.
New wooden furniture houses all the necessary digital museum equipment and delineates the director’s office, which is open to the exhibition space. A large pendant light completes the understated intervention—preserving the chapel’s spatial quality while reimagining it as a contemporary cultural venue.

The Third-Place Library acts as a bridge between an important heritage of the Village of Rochefort-du-Gard and a new facility resolutely open and focused on making culture available to all.

Text provided by the architects.

Working in close collaboration, the team set out an ambition to create a flagship piece of bioregional design, presenting a new attitude towards materials, promoting and highlighting innovation in bioregional design practice. The project is developed in collaboration with local stakeholders, it is drawing from regional know-how and resources, and it aims to create lasting impact through training programs and transmission projects.

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The bather’s path from the summer outdoor entrance (located as close as possible to the main entrance) is intuitively guided without being constrained, with direct views toward the pool and easy supervision from the pool area toward the changing rooms. On the side of the existing pool, a large glass façade with an accordion-style opening shifts the boundary of the pool hall to the eastern edge of the new canopy. In winter, the glass façade is closed, and the indoor pool deck expands, offering opportunities for strolling or resting with views either toward the steaming Nordic pool or the large indoor hall. In summer, the glass walls fold back, and the transition and usage between indoor and outdoor areas become seamless and obvious.

On the south side of the Nordic pool, there is a direct view of the grassy beaches and the wooded landscape. Two carefully aligned footbaths within the wall thickness ensure smooth transitions between the summer changing rooms and the pool deck, and between the grassy and paved poolside areas.

The technical facilities are grouped in a new building extension on the eastern side of the site. This building is ideally positioned to ensure technical connections with the pool. It is built on several levels to meet specific needs efficiently and is accessible from the street, facilitating deliveries of consumables and maintenance of equipment.

Text provided by the architects.