L’Oiselier Primary and Infant School

The site of the new primary and nursery school in Porrentruy has the particularity of having a rugged topography that orients the place to the north. This orientation has several advantages: the staging of the landscape to be contemplated that is illuminated by the sun; the light is uniform, and for much of the day blinds are not necessary. To the north there are also views over the castle and the city.

Added to this is the presence of the “Banée” forest located higher up. We have decided to take advantage of the poetic character of the wooded path to accompany the children to school. Clinging to the forest, the school finds its place to the west on the plot, since that is where the terrain presents the most beautiful undulation that allows a clearing for the patio. It follows the trace of the topography and offers a stereometric reading of the slope, a bit like the low walls that draw striations on the pastures that surround the Jura.

This geometric richness -depressions, compressions, perspective effects- enrich the possible appropriations of space. They come to influence, suggest the whole life that can develop in and around a school. Inside, the circulation spaces exceed their distribution function, becoming playgrounds freely available to children or teachers.

The building seeks the expression of a rough monolith with a minimum of construction details. The glazing has a minimal joint with the "stone" making the frames disappear as much as possible so that the field of vision is widened.

The slope of the land has allowed us to rank well the entrances and the different spaces of the school - nursery below, primary and semi-public above.

The sloping roof creates a continuity between the nursery and primary schools and allows you to go from two to three levels within the same volume. The direct relationship of the school with the morphology of the terrain has allowed minimal excavation.

The infant classes are provided with large sliding windows that allow you to follow a class or activity from the outside under a 5-meter overhang. Primary classes take advantage of the three large sliding windows that offer a direct and permanent relationship with the outside world. The corridors, services and the multipurpose room are widely illuminated by frameless windows level with the façade.