-
Architects: Toury Vallet
- Area: 900 m²
-
Photographs:Stéphane Chalmeau / David Boureau
Text description provided by the architects. The project scope for Liancourt included the demolition of an old building and the design of new catering facilities for the secondary school La Rochefoucauld, located avenue Général De Gaulle in Liancourt, in the Oise area, near Paris. The garden-level new building is in the exact same location as the old restaurant. Perfectly aligned with the main school building, it helps frame the general layout and create coherent outdoor spaces.
Located in the axis of the main entrance and next to the bus station entrance, the new restaurant is at the end of the main outdoor access path and creates a sequential route from the school entrance. It features an independent and secure delivery access in the north western part of the grounds and is directly connected to the covered yard.
A compact and unexpected monobloc building reveals a canopy, which welcomes the students. The succession of the standard functions is natural; the visual sequence maintains and contains the continuous flow of students from the entrance to the exit, preventing any queuing and overcrowding, sources of shoving and pushing. A long gangway, along the building, leads to the entrance. The inside routing leads to the self-service, to the main restaurant, then to the tray collection and finally to the exit.
The main restaurant, with large bay windows, overlooks the sport complex, while offering a bucolic setting with a view on the trees in the Louis Lumière Street. This volume provides an opening through the space, bathed in a soft soothing light. Protected and pristine place, it allows students to share a special time in their day, facing nature in a calm setting. The staff room, also directed towards the wooded area, features an independent terrace. Located away from the main room, it is the perfect place to unwind, and it offers a friendly and relaxing atmosphere to management staff and teachers.
With outside thermal insulation, the building is covered with perforated aluminium cladding. These panels, 60 centimetre wide and 4 metre high, are riveted on a secondary frame of galvanized steel. This skin is highly resistant to shocks and to graffiti and it can give the monolith a new light while going through successive filters and transparencies.
The internal partitioning is highly resistant to damages and impacts. All workstations, in the kitchen, get some light and natural ventilation through skylights. The staff lounge also features a small private outdoor terrace, similar to the teachers' terrace. Finally, the addition of acoustic panels to the suspended ceilings, and the provision for electric shutters which allow for complete concealment of the area, would allow it to accommodate cultural and educational events such as performances or screenings.
This compact design allows for efficient and effective organization of flows. The school restaurant, rooted in its landscaped environment, allows a relaxing break in the school day. The satin reflections from the aluminium panels provide an additional aesthetic to the technical requirements of a classic restaurant. This project is truly involved in the program of the "College of the third millennium" launched by the General Council of Oise.
Text provided by Toury Vallet
