matali crasset colorfully renovates french school with 'tiny architectures'

matali crasset colorfully renovates french school with ‘tiny architectures’
image © philippe piron

the design of an educational space is fundamental in encouraging a child’s growth in learning, their creativity and imagination. in matali crasset‘s recent project, the french designer has revitalized and reorganized the blé en herbe school, located in the quaint village of trébedan in brittany.

acting like a tunnel, one of the structure have been placed at the entrance to the school
image © philippe piron

a key focus of the project was to visibly strengthen the social and cultural link of the educational space and this was achieved through the arrangement of classrooms, re-design of the playground and communal areas and placing ‘tiny-architecture’ inside and outside the school.

porosity and shadows created by the ‘tiny architecture’
image © philippe piron

a consistent and playful feature that has been installed throughout is the addition of several small, glu-lam structures. not representing a specific form, the simple and protective structures instill porosity and provides a link from the school and its exterior. each with a proposed function, there are four ‘extensions de générositiés’: the cycle, the game, the meeting and the reading.

after spending a year in prefabricated classes, the pupils came back to the renovated school
image © philippe piron

the buildings all face onto the playground which is shared with the village inhabitants while the large windows bathe the interior spaces with natural light. the existing single-storey building has been extended to create a large area for two new renovated classrooms. distinguishing her style throughout each space, the classrooms have been brightly colored while, an increase in flexibility allows and encourage the children to freely perform their own activities.

windows opening towards the playground provides constant sunlight
image © philippe piron

‘a school is not a closed cocoon so let’s give children the desire to move, go outside, interact with their environment. to learn how to look around and remain curious seems essential as should the area where we spend most of the day at.’– matali crasset

little structures scattered throughout gives children freedom to pursue their own activities
image © philippe piron

one of the timber ‘extensions de générosité’ aimed for reading
image © philippe piron

vivid colors used throughout the interior spaces
image © philippe piron

the tables of each child is a platform on which vertical supports can be connected, allowing drawings to be hung
image © philippe piron

the variety of areas within a single classroom promotes social interaction and freedom to move
image © philippe piron

cosy furniture blends the warmth of wood and the hardiness of metal
image © philippe piron

matali crasset with the children
image © philippe piron

the outside areas are communal and can be used by the village inhabitants
image © philippe piron

‘the building in its entirety curves towards the inner playground area, like a protective arm around a child, and at the same time opens up to a protected terrace area where the little ones can plant, watch grow, interact with the vegetation … it forms an angle, giving a central area to the school, allowing to perfectly differentiate the buildings which will always be used for teaching purposes and those, further from the center, which once the school is finished will also be used by all the inhabitants of the village.’– matali crasset

the blé en herbe school in brittany
image © philippe piron

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