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WOA Woods Architecture, Space and Design – “L’Industreet” School in Paris
“L’Industreet”, Campus school for teaching and apprenticeship in industrial trades by WOA Architecture woods oriented
“L’Industreet” School in Paris – In Stains (Seine-Saint-Denis), near Paris, the Architecture Space and Design was exemplary of the franchised city made up of hangars and warehouses, often regarded as disparaging urban elements. The project space led by WOA (the space WOA woods school oriented), with architecture and urban as well as social and societal objectives, transformed a neglected parcel of land into a dynamic living space. Read: Conversion Building in Paris INSTAGRAM POST SCHOOLS
From the tram station, which offers a connection with Paris, and beyond the sole parcel concerned WOA has succeeded in providing the entire site with an urban design made up of various modes of traffic and destinations in an open and readable space.
Two CAC40 French companies Engie R&D, in search of new facilities, and of Total, which wanted to create a school – L’Industreet – has allowed WOA to bring urbanity and architecture in what was a derelict area.
Engie had specific needs – a large hall, industrial research laboratories, offices – while Total is implementing government policy to involve CAC40 companies in education, especially for school teens and young adults dropouts.
In order to bring elements of the city and create an urbanity, WOA relied on a principle of densification of functions, which allowed the creation of public spaces and a park, freeing up land space permitting the design of a plaza in the continuity of the station.
More specifically, the approach taken is to create a service center – parking and restaurant – accessible to the various entities of the Campus, the main two tenants occupying their own side of the park. Here, in the project’s relationship with the neighborhood, the word campus is quite appropriate as it defines more than just the parcel and the new buildings. In fact, Engie and Total decided to leave some public space open, a small plaza at the junction of all modes of mobility.
The sum of these elements perfectly integrated create an urban environment directly connected with the tram station.
Focus on the space made by WOA with a woods school oriented
“L’Industreet” School in Paris is not a typical French school but a place for apprenticeship in industrial trades, with real end customers, which explains the large delivery area. Read: Forest House
The training center is organized around the patio. Inside, the industrial vocabulary of the area is reinterpreted through a large hall – permitted by a 25m beam – topped with a glass roof, as a Parisian passage would be. This amplitude made it possible to remove all columns and offer great versatility to the hall, the bleachers/stairs not only allowing to compensate the slope of the ground but also making all kinds of cultural, sport, or school-related events possible.
“L’Industreet” School in Paris Based on these social and societal intentions, in good understanding with Total, WOA has developed Architecture, Space, and Design in a program that promotes versatility and flexibility: the classrooms can be converted into offices, and conversely, the distribution between classrooms and offices can be easily reconfigured according to needs, meeting rooms are accessible to students.
Only woods space has a specific function but almost all lend themselves to multiple usages, allowing the reconversion of the interior upon a new tenant’s arrival. In this case, even the signage is adaptable and can be removed and replaced This underlines WOA thinking has produced space more flexible than in a traditional school, as the courses are more focused on the professional aspect. Architecture, Space and Design.
The mastery of the architectural project requires the mastery of its manufacture. It is with this conviction that Samuel Poutoux and Rémi Crozat, architects, joined forces in 2012 with Marc-Henri Maxit, economist and carpenter contractor, to create a resolutely multidisciplinary structure called WOA, acronym for Wood Oriented Architecture.
Of the three partners, two already have had solid experience in wood framing and timber construction. Samuel Poutoux developed a concept of wooden office built by Real estate developer Nexity and, at a time when this technology was still not widely used in France, Marc-Henri Maxit had initiated many projects in solid wood panels (CLT).
Atelier WOA, 11 RUE CARDUCCI, PARIS, IDF 75019, FR