Designed by Ameller Dubois, the new Claudine Hermann Secondary School (Collège Claudine Hermann) stands in the southern Paris suburb of Massy, on the Vilgénis site—formerly home to the Air France Aviation Apprenticeship Training Center. Set within 22 hectares of woodland, the school occupies a green setting that supports environmental integration.

Opened for the 2024 academic year, the school stands out for its architectural design and technical rigor. The client set ambitious targets for the 7,200-square-meter facility, aiming for RE2020 compliance at E3C1 level and Biosourced Level 3 certification.

Energy performance is optimized through a building management system (BMS) that adjusts to occupancy and outdoor conditions, coupled with a high-performance thermal envelope.

According to Kamel Rahim, project manager at the Essonne Departmental Council, “the goal was to favor materials with low environmental impact, achieved through the mixed structure using wooden façades and floors on a concrete base.”

Integration and architectural form

Supported by the Essonne Departmental Council, the school combines concrete and wood to achieve a balanced environmental footprint. Designed by Ameller Dubois, its geometry facilitates landscape integration. With technical support from Sto, the contractor Artib developed and installed a custom curved external thermal insulation system (ITE), demonstrating the company’s craftsmanship and precision.

The project was recognized at Sto’s “50 Years Trophies” in the Responsible Future category, rewarding exemplary projects in sustainable development.

To preserve the surrounding landscape, the project adopts a compact form. The building follows the site’s natural slope, minimizing earthworks and reducing physical impact. Its U-shaped plan opens toward the wooded Vilgénis Park, organizing the school around a landscaped courtyard that serves as both social and ecological core.

Low-carbon design strategies

The design takes a comprehensive low-carbon approach rooted in compactness, energy efficiency, and ecological integration. By minimizing footprint and volume, it preserves the site’s wooded topography while enhancing long-term performance.

Energy demand is further reduced through biomass heating, extensive vegetated roofs, and high-performance glazing with solar control. Green roofs enhance biodiversity and thermal balance, while bio-based insulation—wood fiber and hemp—provides efficiency with minimal environmental impact.

Material selection balances durability, performance, and environmental responsibility. The lower levels are built in lasured concrete for thermal inertia and strength, while the upper levels use a timber structure that significantly reduces embodied carbon.

Timber construction 

Set on a patterned concrete base, the upper levels use a timber structure whose lightness and renewable character reduce embodied carbon. Large glazed surfaces open views to the surrounding woodland, emphasizing transparency and connection with nature. Timber-framed walls with bio-based insulation and motorized sunshades provide solar protection and thermal comfort year-round.

The façade design balances environmental performance, safety, and architectural character. A non-combustible mineral insulation system with rock wool and mineral-based render was selected for use on timber structures.

The curved façades presented a technical challenge, addressed through a custom installation method that notched insulation panels to achieve curvature while maintaining performance and fire safety. A thin, stone-colored mineral render completes the exterior finish.

Landscape and outdoor continuity

Façades combine light-colored renders on timber-frame walls with bio-based insulation layers. The sports hall features laminated timber structures that highlight the versatility of renewable materials. Reused travertine cladding from deconstructed site buildings reinforces both environmental and aesthetic continuity.

Outdoor spaces draw from the site’s natural heritage, extending continuity between architecture and woodland. Six distinct landscape typologies—ranging from the forest forecourt to the science garden and residential micro-reserves—support learning, recreation, and biodiversity, embedding the school within the Vilgénis Park ecosystem.

Environmental identity

By respecting the site’s wooded character and minimizing its footprint, Claudine Hermann Secondary School offers a contemporary architectural response grounded in environmental performance. Although some existing buildings were beyond repair, their deconstruction yielded valuable materials for reuse.

Selective dismantling recovered doors, ceiling panels, heating equipment, stone cladding, and an elevator unit—all reintegrated into the new building. The former refectory was retained and converted into staff housing, its column-and-beam structure allowing flexible apartment layouts with parking below. Together, these strategies show how structural reuse and material recovery extend building lifecycles and support future adaptability.