Highschool Uruguay-France, Fontainebleau-Avon

Built in 1977 adjacent to the Fontainebleau forest, the Uruguay France high school is set in an exceptional natural wooded landscape. The existing architectural layout featured patios interconnected through a network of galleries and covered courtyards.
The new entrance is defined by a succession of transitional spaces: a vast forecourt serves as an entrance for the pupils, with a glass-fronted reception office that facilitates monitoring. A porch provides a symbolic entrance and shelter, with a landscaped pathway leading to the school. The unity of the materials – pre-cast white concrete and Fontainebleau rough-hewn sandstone – radically transforms the school’s identity. Lighting highlights the texture of the sandstone, while two landscaped car parks complete the layout.
The new school restaurant – a kitchen and 3 dining rooms with capacity for 1 600 meals – has a more refined atmosphere and acoustics. The demolition of the ground floor concrete facades enabled steel bow windows to be inserted, providing a view over the forest from the dining rooms and fully optimising the natural light.