dominique coulon applies varying shades of blue to school group 'rené beauverie' in france

as part of an urban renewal scheme in the town of vaulx-en-velin, france, dominique coulon & associés has introduced the ‘school group rené beauverie’. the project consists of a number of programmes offering neighbourhood services, including a creche, a dance hall, a sports hall, a small library, and a restaurant. 

all images courtesy of dominique coulon & associés

the building designed by dominique coulon & associés has a very unitary appearance, with the classrooms spread over a length of 40 metres as if on a bridge. this layout clearly asserts its status as a public facility. the various entrances focus on a common forecourt, from which the programmes spread out in a complex yet fluid imbrication. the ground floor is given over to the creche, the sports hall, and the nursery school. in order to reach the primary school, the pupils must use the large staircase leading to the courtyard area on the upper storey. 

the school structure has the appearance of a hollowed-out block, with various courtyards and patios bringing natural light into the heart of the building. the presence of different shades of blue provides links that are at times unexpected. in addition, the changing light creates variations on the white areas of the building, which eventually appear to take on colour themselves. 

these variations in colour and light change throughout the day, depending on the changing angle of the sun, and as a result the white areas are never completely white. the multiple reflections give the areas a feeling of architecture in movement. the colour is an obvious choice: the building is in dialogue with the horizon and the blue of the sky. the many programmes complement each other harmoniously, fitting together calmly despite their complexity.

project info:

name: school group rené beauverie
architecture office: dominique coulon & associés
location: vaulx-en-velin, lyon, france
surface: 6170 m2

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edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom