Collège Paul Éluard (77)

• Type of construction: public secondary school, refurbishment
• Contracting authority: Département de Seine-et-Marne
• Architect: BW Dumont
• Installation systems : Cladding with backing structure (CWB)
• Product : SMOOTH MATT, GLOSSY SMOOTH & PAPYRUS
• Photos: Michel ROY, for CAREA®

The ITE ventilated facade solution for complex renovation projects

In Montereau-Fault-Yonne (Seine-et-Marne), the Paul Éluard secondary school needed extensive renovation, but this was to be carried out without interrupting the school’s activities. The project, won and carried out by the BW Dumont architectural firm, also based in Seine-et-Marne, involved a refurbishment whose complexity can scarcely be guessed at today. A technical feat and an architectural approach made possible, in particular, by the use of CAREA® Mineral Composite Cladding on the façade, installed with the CAREA® Cladding with backing structure (CWB) system.

Design a construction schedule compatible with school life

The renovation work, which was carried out in stages so that school life could continue as smoothly as possible during the restructuring, involved modifying all the functions of the educational establishment. A pierced structure throughout, limited storage space for materials, the need to consecutively install different secure accesses to the building depending on the phase of the work… These were all highly consequential challenges to which the BW Dumont architectural firm was able to respond with organizational agility. Of course, by choosing a ventilated facade solution on a framework and products renowned for their ease of installation and high resistance, the agency was able to optimize the External Thermal Insulation (ITE) phase.

Through the building envelope, change the perception of the facility

Located in a so-called “sensitive” neighborhood, the Paul Eluard secondary school was aging, with facades that had fallen into disrepair. Its new-generation design had to mark the change, both to put the school back into perspective in the eyes of local residents, and to contribute to the reappropriation of the school by its students.

Since the school is anchored in a green lung, off-center but overlooking the city below, the architectural firm opted for a streamlined design, with a smooth and structured white Mineral finish and a PAPYRUS (crumpled paper) finish. In this way, while playing the sobriety card, it was able to create a strong contrast with the environment in which it is set, so that it stands out and is seen.

Architect Barbara Dumont was able to express this aesthetic commitment through the building envelope and façade treatment.

In choosing CAREA® Mineral Composite panels, the architect was assured of the performance of a solution that would require the installation of only one material (to optimize the ITE project), that would be long-lasting and easy to maintain, and that would come in a range of colors to reflect the architect’s signature.

Every facade features CAREA® Mineral Composite cladding installed with the CAREA® Cladding with backing structure (CWB) system.

The facades are in PAPYRUS (crumpled paper finish) in Blanc Banquise, and SMOOTH MAT in Blanc Perle. The facade panels were laid with stone joints, to give the whole a more classic, traditional look.

The entrance arch, meanwhile, is in red GLOSSY SMOOTH: an elegant and warm welcome for schoolchildren.