Extension of the Haute Ecole de Santé, HEDS

The insertion of the building into the site seeks a position of equilibrium. Two successive alignment recesses free up the space of a park that enhances the vegetation face. The figure of the void is equivalent to the figure of the building, in the manner of a wooden assembly “with a splayed indent joint”. This arrangement makes it possible, on the one hand, to minimise the point of contact of the school buildings and, on the other hand, to maximise their relationship around a park that brings the entrances together via a network of paths. The mineral base, which is semi-submerged in the terrain, includes the public access, while the study areas are pooled in an upper wooden construction. The floor plan is arranged around the internal figure of a large staircase that identifies the heart of the school and embodies the movement and meeting area. Each corner of the recesses, in visual contact with the trees, is available as a place of study. Used “as is”, the structural wood contributes initially to producing an interior atmosphere, and then tells the story of its construction by assembling it into a large framework. The façade is made up of alternating bands of glazed and spandrel strips covered with glazed earthenware battens, which resonate with the setting’s tree structure.