It so happened that a fragment of Moscow between Milyutinsky Lane and Novaya Lubyanka, where the Lyceum is located, is the most French place in the capital: it has belonged to the French community since the 17th century. In Catherine's times, the Catholic Church of St. Louis was built here, and in 1827 the current Empire church of Domenico Gilardi arose in its place. In 1885, a three-story St. Dorothea's orphanage was built under the Catholic parish, and in 1899, Oscar Didio erected a four-story brick building for St. Philip Neri's real school for men and St. Catherine's female gymnasium. This building now houses the Alexandre Dumas Lyceum, which was reconstructed in 2004 according to the project of HUBERT & ROY Architects, with a glass floor, and now they decided to expand: a three-story building of the former orphanage, transferred to the Lyceum, and a new building will be added to it.
For this ensemble, the customer AEFE - the Association of French Education Abroad - held a competition. Four consortia entered the second stage, including the French bureau Anthony Beshu, their partners - the architectural company of Anton Barklyansky SYNCHROTECTURE, and SETEK Engineering. The consortium project won first place in the competition of the Department of Urban Development Policy of the State Budgetary Institution Mosstroyinform in the Past and Present nomination.
The new building with a glass atrium is in stark contrast to the old brick houses - one of Anton Barklyansky's favorite techniques. “Working in a historical environment is an interesting task, because even if the buildings are neutral from the point of view of architecture, there is a feeling that the builders made them with love, a level of quality has been set, which must be met,” says Anton. “In addition, the old architecture creates a sense of security, it says that the past exists, which means there is something to rely on,” adds Marina Bukina, partner at SYNCHROTECTURE.
A glass façade protruding from a black frame sets off the brick of historic buildings. Pablo Lorenzino, an architect partner of AAAB, insisted on the black, absorbing color of the upper tier - in the evening the top of the charcoal color should merge with the sky.
The new building of the Lyceum changes the organization of the territory, revises the organization of pedestrian flows. Previously, the entrance to the lyceum was for parents - from the side of Milyutinsky lane, and for children - from a small patch in the alley between the temple and Didio's house. According to the project, a spacious courtyard with paving will be formed in front of the new building, flanked on both sides by textured brick facades. This is where the main entrance will be. Opposite this courtyard, on the other side of the alley, there is a square of the Church of St. Louis - a free space, inwardly retreat from the street, giving some view. The architects deliberately opened a new courtyard in the square, moving the main entrance so that the eye would not rest on the wall. Although the territory of the lyceum is formally closed, the glass fence will provide visual clarity.
The script for the three buildings was carefully written. It was required to place two large volumes in the new building - a gym and an assembly hall. The gym is cleverly placed in an overhanging black box on the upper level, while the assembly hall is half buried in the ground.
Between the gymnasium and the assembly hall in the mezzanine floor, a semi-open public space has appeared - the so-called preau, or schoolyard. This made it possible to exclude the impact of noise from the sports hall on the assembly hall.
Preau is completely indoor, you can walk there during breaks, one part of it is outdoor, the other is interior, behind a glass fence, which is opened in warm weather. This is not only a space for children to relax, but also a transition linking all three buildings into a single system. It is on this axis that the main public premises are strung: rooms for meetings of parents with teachers, a library, and administrative functions.
Another functional and beautiful idea is a ramp that duplicates the stairs. Thanks to him, the streams of people are divorced: the events taking place in the assembly hall will not interfere with the educational process. The ramp connects all levels and is in the foreground just behind the glass façade. People walking along the ramp are clearly visible from the street - it looks like a city performance - the entire three-tier interior is transparent and the entire structure of the building is at a glance, and from the courtyard it is immediately clear where to go. The ramp and the preo are a place for meeting and communication. And when looking from inside the lyceum, one can feel the contact with the urban environment. The classrooms, on the other hand, are located in brick buildings hidden from the street noise.
The old building was also reprogrammed: the organization of the first floor was revised and the dining room on the ground floor was expanded. In the former orphanage, the interior was redesigned, retaining the supporting structures, the walled up windows on the end facade and the pits of the basement were opened to give access to daylight. The courtyard consists of a courtyard in front of the new building and a small courtyard behind it. The transition and the preo are raised to the second level so as not to interfere with the connection of these two parts.
The Lyceum Dumas project is a very French solution. The ability to work with glass, an understanding of its nature is characteristic of many French architects. In Paris, even a condominium fence is a five-meter glass wall without bindings. Jean Nouvel at the Paris Cartier Foundation (1996) created a chain of reflections of trees: gardens shine through the glass plates of the facade, gardens in front of them are reflected in glass.
The French Lyceum also has a garden near the church opposite. And the front yard with a glass fence is an atmospheric island of France in Moscow.
So, the Courdoner has a glass fence. The action unfolds behind him, which is watched by a city dweller walking by. This is also very French: even if you do not mean the "society of the spectacle" of the French philosopher Guy Debord as a model of the modern world, life for show, like in a movie, is a recognizable feature of French culture. Behind a transparent wall, behind a transparent fence … Although a school in Russia is a closed institution, such a delicate decision will help incorporate it into the fabric of the city and improve our city a little more.
Moreover, nearby is Myasnitskaya Street, mastered by the Higher School of Economics, with many cafes and bookstores, practically a university quarter, which turns into an equally ennobled Pokrovka. So the context is favorable.
