Ecole de Riddes

The building of the new school was the first stage of this project. It can be summarize through the 3 following ideas.

 _The square_    Built as a very compact structure, the new primary school inserts itself into the village. Regarding its scale and position the building conveniently interacts with the existing school and the smaller village housing. The project offers a whole new public space that provides a renewed articulation between the school center and the village. Taking advantage of the two different levels between the schoolyard and the village square, the underground lobby connects the old school to the new one.

 _The cross_    The 4 heavy concrete walls are contrasting with the lightweight of the metal envelope. Every part of the program, including circulations and services are taking benefit of the natural light. The classrooms are always set in a corner. This position offers a wide variety of views and relationships with the context. The continuous and linear facades are expressing the radiant composition of the building.

 _The hard shell_    Contrasting with the glass panels, the galvanized sheets express strength and durability. This material has been chosen for its capacity to evolve according to the weather conditions, characteristics of the daylight, or the ageing of the facade. The brutalist nature of the material responds to the violence of the alpine landscape of the “Rhône Valley”.

The second stage of this work was the renovation of the existing school built in 1956.

The major interventions on the existing structure were the construction of a lift, of new seismic walls and classrooms enlargements. The technical installations have been rebuilt according to the latest standards. The challenge was here to keep the character and the qualities of the original typology.

Under the schoolyard, the new lobby as been designed as a multipurpose space. Connecting the new and the old schools together, it becomes a new entrance and an extension of the blue auditorium. The public can use all this part of the school center.