The new Simone Veil school in Villiers-sur-Marne receives colorful cladding evoking childhood

In a district of an ANRU (National Agency for Urban Renovation) zone undergoing major restructuring, the new Simone Veil school in Villiers-sur-Marne was to bring life and break the harshness of neighboring structures.

Effect won for the architect, Laurent Fournet, who knew how to imagine a building suggesting childhood, awakening and creativity, with a very colorful cladding with aspects of colored pencil box. The enamelled Barro Argeton cladding responded to his desire to create "a full, tangy vibration" on the entire building, "by giving a rhythm thanks to the variations on each level of installation".

Each of the shingles, in different colors and one meter high, adorns the building on different levels while respecting perfect harmony.

An architectural signal

A parallelepiped on the front "serves as a signal, opening up to a world of culture, like a totem pole that marks the entrance" according to its designer.

The progressive breaking of the geometric pattern towards a curve provides additional vitality to the whole. The bay window overlooks the school library and the cladding in colored shingles also evokes the shelves of children's books.

A very delicate implementation

To install the 7.000 pieces needed, it was necessary to call in a specialist who had experienced this type of cladding. Bruno Tassone and his son Tony worked as expert professionals on the site for 4 months. The difficulty for this school consisted in respecting the specific layout for the entire building, walls and roof. The curved parts were particularly difficult to negotiate, square by square. The installation is done shingle after shingle, each time leaving the square in the shade of the product.

The columns on the bay window which are 7 meters high also required shingles 3 meters away from the glass facade. In the end, the entrepreneur, very satisfied with the result, particularly appreciates the clarity of the enameling and its durability over time.

The essentials of the site ...

• A school like a pencil box: colorful, tangy, cheerful and geometric.
• A cladding that combines the warmth of terracotta and the flicker of enameling. A safe bet that stands the test of time.
• A goldsmith's work carried out by the installers.
  • Architect: Agence Laurent Fournet Architects
  • Project manager and site monitoring: Anissa KADA
  • Installation company: Tassone Bâtiment
  • Products: Barro Argeton glazed cladding (red, light blue, yellow, lilac, pink)
  • Quantity: 7.000 pieces