Presentation

The main school of Pully is an establishment of the second primary cycle which welcomes pupils from 10 to 12 years old. The current building is located in the center of the town, near the Avenue C.-F. Ramuz and the train station and less than 800 m from Lake Geneva.

Mandate

Pully wanted to expand its school infrastructure to accommodate the expected increase in the number of pupils. The city therefore organized an architectural competition with the objective of proposing a project for the extension of Pully’s main secondary school. The mandate included the creation of new infrastructures to increase the number of classrooms and propose a new sports hall, outdoor playgrounds and a library.

Our project

1m37. The height of an 8P child’s eyes, this value is the primary objective of the project. The esplanade created, a vibrant surface in the center of the site, is dedicated to the schoolchildren who are its first users. Between staging and enhancement, it regenerates the historical link between the school square and the great landscape of Lake Geneva.

Our proposal was born from a transversal intention: to offer a view, but also a space of meeting and urbanity, which would contribute globally to the quality of life of the inhabitants of Pully. The architectural project fits into its immediate environment via three soft paths that contribute to the fluidity of traffic. It acts as a marker that reorients the school complex towards Avenue C.-F. Ramuz. The architectural project presents a building front composed of three main elements:

The first volume, a mineral base, founds the building by extruding it from the ground. It structures the relationship between the public space and the interiority of the plot. A generous breakthrough reaffirms the main entrance of the school and organizes the access to the two new major programs, the sports hall and the elementary school. The entrance sequence is extended by the existing monumental staircase that allows access to both the new and existing facilities.

Then comes the plateau, which acts as an interface. Because of its neuralgic position in the volumetry of the site and because of the diversity of the programs it houses (school, administration, PPLS, library), it is the heart of the project. The library takes on a very special dimension by becoming a pivotal element between the old and the new. Accessible from several pathways, the plateau also offers more intimate spaces, organized by interior patios.

Finally, the third volume concentrates school functions in direct link with the esplanade created at the foot of the historic college. It is here that games and the surrounding view are given pride of place. The diversity of the outdoor facilities, such as the sports field with a mountain backdrop, contributes to the richness of the site. The architectural entity offers a privileged learning environment, far from the noisier sections. It presents a sensitive and moving facade made entirely of wood, punctuated by clearings whose play of light and shadow produces a poetic spatiality.

Finally, the use of this material for its structural, environmental and sensory qualities could revitalize the activity of the forests of Pully.