BP Architectures, member of PLAN01 was completed design Extension of Two Elementary Schools situated in a residential district without any real urban markers of Courbevoie – France. One school was named “Logie” and the other “Anatole France”. As the need for public space grew, the City of Courbevoie decided that it wanted an extension, which it thought would be common to both schools.

BP Architectures, which was invited to bid on the project, did not see things quite the same way; instead of the ground plan sketched out by the municipal services, BP proposed not one but two extensions; two buildings within the same construction, twin structures arranged perpendicular to each other so that the observer has the strange sensation of seeing the same object from two different angles. Designing two buildings instead of one, allowed each individual school to achieve its own optimum functioning.

On either side, a deliberately sturdy mineral base to enclose the schoolyard and house the technical premises, servicing areas and bathroom facilities. Above the base, a vibrating, golden metal box housing a floor dedicated to classrooms with a pediment and a library looking out onto the city, turning knowledge and study into figureheads of the school. And in both cases, slanted walls serving as the pupils’ entrance. As a result, the playground area was enlarged and even included a vegetable garden: a solution that made everyone happy!

The two extensions shimmered. The façades of the metal boxes were covered with anodized aluminum clapboard in three 3 colors: champagne, bronze and gold, giving the buildings an attractive, sparkling look. The structure as a whole produced an impression of abstract vitality.

These two structures, with their highly contemporary style, recompose the city block, making it more compact and lively. A bland district is turned into a landmark neighborhood.

The design aimed for simple volumes with an identifiable architectural meaning. The project is part of a heterogeneous fabric without any dominant architectural style, which is typical of the outskirts of Paris. The two extensions built on two streets of a single block, create a strong, structuring identifying element by repeating the motif. The project helps give an “order”, an identifying, recognizable signature, to the district.