Multifunctional educational complex with a total area of 13 853 m2 built in the south of Lille, in the Moulins district. It houses a college for 500 schoolchildren (children 11-15 years old study in colleges, in France it is a “first level” secondary school), a boarding school for 100 places, a sports complex with a hall for wheelchair users and a cultural center (dance studios, a concert hall and etc.).
The college is located on the border of the historic center of Lille. The complex of buildings is located with the letter P around a trapezoidal courtyard, which is oriented south. The southern part of the complex is closed by a one-storey bulkhead corridor; it borders on the overpass of the surface metro and a major transport artery - Alsace Boulevard.
The first floor is intended for pedestrians: a huge courtyard is filled with greenery, part of the second floor is raised on columns, which creates additional space under it. In addition, the facade of the first floor and the courtyard is abundantly glazed. A maximum of light and space - in general, everything you need for a diligent and healthy study. In addition, this openness at ground level creates an attractive image of the building for the city dwellers rushing by.
Minimalism in interior design is expressed in the form of raw concrete walls and signs and inscriptions applied directly to them. They are made in yellow, which against the background of gray concrete creates an unexpected resemblance for the school to a brutal pedestrian crossing or underground parking, but the love of European architects for such effects has long been known.
The courtyard is surrounded by a "balcony" on the second floor: there is a mini-park with shrubs and flowers, where, however, you cannot walk - you can only enjoy the views from the windows. The roof is covered with patinated zinc: it is he who defines the appearance of the building when viewed from afar, inscribing it into the urban environment.
On the second and third "relief" floors are college and boarding classes. The sports hall occupies a separate three-storey block in the eastern part of the complex and does not differ from the rest of the premises: the same concrete and yellow color, the only difference is that some of the walls are lined with panels, and the wooden floors and zinc roof are open to the interior.
