Gymnasium - Djamel Kara

Colombes, France

The project is in line with the logic of layering already implemented in the recreational spaces of the Marguerite Duras College and allows a smooth transition between the college and the neighborhood. A simple concrete rectangle floats 4 meters above the exterior ground, topped by a garden roof. The only emergence: the volume of classrooms completely clad in steel accentuates the integration of the building through its permanent reflection of the urban environment.

Below this plateau, transparency is total.

Buried, the building reveals a distant horizon. The upper third is glazed on four sides and bathes the gymnasium in soft light. Overhangs forming shelters protect against disruptive solar radiation.

The materials are raw concrete, glass, and light wood—brick-red sports floor as a reminder of the outdoor sports area.

By nature, the building benefits from very high inertia in all seasons and minimizes its energy consumption very significantly.

A thick biotope covers the roof of the gymnasium. On a thick layer of earth, euphorbias, grasses, and spontaneous vegetation make up an unexpected landscape. They provide passing insects and birds a haven of tranquility in the heart of a very mineral urban context. A Corten steel frame gives the whole an identity of urban sculpture.