Chemin de la Romanellaz, Crissier

In the continuity of the ground of the street, a forecourt marking the horizon can clear the view and act as a terrace onto the city. Facing this stone carpet, only a compact and imposing volume stands at the bottom of the plot and illuminates the public space. The school was built on the slope and is based on a set of tensions between the high and low altimetry of the plot and the buildings that surround it.

Designed in a suburban context, the project for the primary and secondary school of Romanellaz is at the level of the municipality. Located on a selected site, the classrooms are located in the existing ground and form a transversal threshold. This base offers a horizontality and a green space below. Facing this stone carpet, only a compact and imposing volume stands at the bottom of the plot and illuminates the public space. The school was built on the slope and is based on a set of tensions between the high and low altimetry of the plot and the buildings that surround it. We enter the school by a ground floor, glazed and compressed by the notable volume of sport. This ground floor houses the reception and service areas, and the multi-functional room that can open its entire length during school events. Teaching spaces and the infirmary are also on the ground floor and are easy to access.
This floor between two levels down the classrooms that look on the playground, in direct connection to the South. The classrooms open onto the courtyard, which becomes landscape. In the centre of the school, there is a patio serving as a more intimate playground for children's classes. This patio garden is interiorised and has a soft floor covering suitable for children. It also acts as the entrance of natural light for rooms further north. For greater flexibility, all classes can be decompartmentalised and combined with each other as needed. Above the reference floor the sports area rises up. The facade overlooking the forecourt is glazed over the entire length at the eye level. And opaque in the upper section. In order to reinforce the interactions between the existing and the new realisation, the choice fell on a unique material: natural stone. With its texture and colour, this material strengthens the unity of the whole. A roof is composed of four roofs with inverted slopes which enliven the ceiling of the room. There is complementarity between the structure and the light. The traditional flat tile roof refers to the context and history of the site.