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Architects: architecturestudio
- Area: 17721 m²
- Year: 2011
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Photographs:Georges Fessy, Takuji Shimmura
Text description provided by the architects. Novancia business school extension asserts its modern features while being in line with the heritage building dating back to 1908 and with its entire neighbourhood. As a contrast with the steady and rough bricks of the 1908 building, the extension is smooth, dynamic and kynetic. It has a purified outline and glazed facades composed of mobile vertical couloured shutters. They control solar input according to each season. From the outside, different view angles bring different perceptions: depending on the shutter opening level, the building seems closed when seen from afar and transparent when one is next to it. Interior areas are user-friendly and have legible layouts, set around a main atrium. Main classrooms and offices lead into the central atrium via a series of open galleries. The auditoria and the cafeteria are directly connected with the atrium. The atrium is a new spot dedicated to communication. It is also the main foyer, a vertical and horizontal transfer area and a trasition area from old to contemporary times.
