stone sloping roof inserts nursery school to the parisian landscape

NZI Architectes uses Wood & Stone to form Early childhood home

Paris-based architectural studio NZI Architectes completes the project of an early childhood home in the historic village of Vauréal, France. Using primarily wood and stone, the design aims to create a ‘soft and playful’ atmosphere, conducive to the awakening of children and their well-being, forming a protective structure that takes advantage of the landscape views of the surroundings. The proposal builds a continuous facade from Gandhi Avenue which takes up the alignment of the neighboring building. The sloping stone roof is in total adequacy with the building’s surroundings and ‘Les Moissons’ nursery school‘s external tonality and textures are effortlessly merged with the landscape.

Drawing from traditional architecture, the main principles of the composition set up sloping roofs and mineral materials, while the stone facade recalls the constructions of the historic village of Vauréal. Maintaining a link with the pre-existing context, the volume is reinforced by the reinterpretation of the sloping roof and applies wood throughout the structure and in the internal composition of the equipment bringing warm textures to the spaces. The patio, at the heart of the building, protects against noise pollution from the road, also, providing natural light and transparency to the spaces.

all images by Simon Guesdon

a contemporary volume serves as the entrance to the city

The construction of the facades is made of natural stone panels attached to an additional framework, suitable for timber frame walls, while prefabrication of the wooden construction elements is favored to limit the risks of degradation. Insulation is included in the timber frame wall complex. The volume is completed with a durable, and qualitative material, the stone, creating a contemporary form that revisits the notion of traditional roofing and softly inserts into the landscape. ‘The structure serves as the entrance to the city signaling the public dimension of the building through a strong and singular identity’, shares the designer team.

The development of the patio takes advantage of solar gain and orientation in terms of heat or light. The central courtyard brings natural light to the awakening room common to the three structures, the activity rooms of the family nursery, and the RAM as well as to the circulations multi-nursery, and multiplies transparencies and open circulations between the zones. The open area allows comfortable and easy-to-control supervision of children, while the sun shades in pergola mode generate shade for summer comfort. The patio is coated with a shock-absorbing comfort floor in bright colors.

the stone sloping roof is in total adequacy with the building’s surroundings

awakening units put up light partitions for interior flexibility

The Awakening Room is considered to be the centerpiece of the establishment and remains visible from any point of circulation standing as the backdrop for the patio. Easily accessible from the three entities, the room is independently following the requirements of the specifications, and though entirely open on the patio, it is, also, partly glazed on the circulations of the common spaces. Attending to the importance of acoustics in the space, the interior sets up microperforated acoustic wooden panels with the same layout as the facade. The sloping ceiling provides an improvement in acoustic performance exceeding over three meters above the ground.

The area is enveloped in wood surfaces creating a soft and playful atmosphere throughout, conducive to the awakening of children and their well-being. The organization is substantially identical for each of the awakening units, the changing rooms are located in the thickness of the circulations with double-sided devices. Each area has a naturally lit awakening room and a restroom. To be able to cope with pedagogical, educational, and organizational changes, the design puts up light partitions, removable walls, or low furniture depending on the space, ensuring flexibility in interior fittings.

‘Les Moissons’ nursery school’s external tonality and textures are effortlessly merged with the landscape