Groupe scolaire – Oiseau Lyre Noisy le Grand | r2k architectes

r2k architecte presents Oiseau Lyre, a school with nordic inspiration in Noisy-le-Grand, France. Anchored on a plot with 8 meters of elevation, the school faces North towards the Marne and explores a new pedagogical model of Finnish inspiration, offering a diversity of shared spaces. The compact building of 50mx100m is set on 4 levels, maintaining a low height profile in relation to neighboring pavilions. Like a Palladian villa, functions are embedded in the core of the building, in an area filled with natural light and the social vibrancy of the school.

With Oiseau Lyre, r2k architect brings the environmental and educational ambitions of the City of Noisy le Grand to realization through the construction and interior design of a positive energy building made of wood. Based on recent cognitive research, it provides a framework for active pedagogies.

In its spatial proposals, the school's design incorporates the latest know-how of Nordic schools, and those of the Quebec Lab-school, models which r2k architects Véronique Klimine (France) and Olavi Koponen (Finland) visited.

The program includes 24 classrooms for kindergarten and elementary students, as well as 8 rooms intended as recreation spaces. Common spaces, including a multipurpose room with direct external access, a motor room, an art galleries, a library, a restaurant, and a sports hall are shared with civic associations when school is out.

On a steep slope facing the Marne River, three levels of the 4-level school are connected to the natural terrain, facilitating the safety of children. Located in the middle of a vernacular district, the project also respects the proportions of surrounding houses.

Photography: Erieta Atali, Antoine Mercusot, Jacques Merel