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École du Zénith (Lab-École de Shefford)
By : Pelletier de Fontenay + Leclerc architectes
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 17th edition
Discipline : Architecture
Categories : Special Award / Architecture + Wood : Bronze Certification
Categories : Special Award / Architecture + Landscape : Platinum Winner
Categories : Special Award / Sustainable Architecture : Gold Certification
Categories : Public Building / School & Preschool Education Building : Silver Certification
In the vast, open landscape of the site, the project stands as a new horizon line, modulated by the interplay of volumes and roofs. This horizontal effect, emphasized by the continuity of the low roof, echoes the site’s flat topography and allows the building to blend into the landscape. At ground level, on the edge of the forest and fields, the architecture is accessible to all, and keeps users in constant contact with nature. A vegetable garden is located near the cafeteria and kitchen, offering students a new perspective on their relationship with nature and food. The assembly of the pavilions into a coherent whole allows a double reading: the simultaneous expression of each of the cycles and of the school’s wider community. Common spaces occupy the generous double-height central area and open onto the central courtyard. An auditorium leads to a more intimate mezzanine, framed by a large skylight. Each pavilion is topped by large triangular skylights that bring natural light into the central spaces and frame views of the sky for those below. These skylights are also bioclimatic cooling mechanisms. Each student can identify with his own pavilion, his own “home”. They can thus visualize in space their past and future journey through the school cycles. The cascade of volumes in the landscape creates perspectives that continually change according to our position – the volumes visually superimposing each other in a constantly renewed way. The grouping of the pavilions around a central core, the courtyard, allows the whole school to be seen. The courtyard is sufficiently enclosed to create a real sense of interiority, a piece of nature that belongs to the school, but it also opens out onto the landscape. The opening frames the magnificent view of Mount Shefford, which becomes a constant point of reference for the children.
Collaboration
Engineering : Bouthillette Parizeau
Landscaper : Fauteux et Associés
