Program: Restructuring and extension of a 1,500+ student business school and construction of a complex: 3 amphitheaters (2 x 70 seats and 1 x 90 seats), 300-seat auditorium, film set, food and beverage areas, independent office building.

Project: Novancia business school extension asserts its modern features while being in line with the heritage building dating back to 1908 and its entire neighbourhood. Contrasting the steady and rough bricks of the 1908 building, the extension is smooth, dynamic and kinetic. It has a purified outline and glazed facades composed of mobile vertical coloured 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. The main classrooms and offices lead into the central atrium via a series of open galleries. The auditoria and cafeteria are directly connected to the atrium. The atrium is a new spot dedicated to social interaction. It is also the main foyer, a vertical and horizontal buffer area and a transition zone from old to contemporary times.