Primary school of Betschdorf
Situated in the North of Alsace (France), the new Betschdorf school complex brings together the two former elementary schools. It is located near a residential area, sports equipments and a large green space in the West.
A major challenge for this project is to blend in its context and more precisely, to establish a dialogue, both functional and aesthetic, between architecture and landscape. This is why nature penetrates the very heart of the building, as described in detail below.
First of all, in order to match the scale of the residential neighbourhood, almost all of the building is on the ground floor, which also facilitates the children's circulation.
The southern entrance, protected by the large organic covered playground roof, leads to the welcoming hall that serves, amongst other spaces, the administrative area.
Then, regarding the eleven identical classrooms, they all have immediate access to small gardens, which also favours the admission of natural light. These rooms are rationally and strictly organised on both sides of a wide central space where more ovoid-shaped rooms host the specific activities; namely sciences, arts and crafts, and the library. The latter open onto vegetated patios of organic shapes. These outdoor spaces invite nature, light and colours inside the building and guide the flows of circulation.
Finally, as the municipality of Betschdorf specified in its program, the commitment to sustainable development is essential in this project and is reflected in numerous aspects.
First of all, the building materials are healthy and long-lasting, in particular the linoleum, panels and paints which adorn the inside and are very low volatile-organic-compounds-emitting.
In addition to this, the building has a performing energy management thanks to its dual flow air handling unit with filters, night ventilation and high inertia due to the concrete walls and green roof.
