The project focuses on the energy renovation of building 03 at the Georges Clémenceau high school campus in Montpellier, which includes building 03 Annex, part of the ground floor of building 05, and the construction of a hazardous materials storage room. Not included in the initial program, the operation will also involve an extension with a multi-sports hall.



The energy rehabilitation of building 03 at Lycée Clémenceau mainly aims at improving the thermal performance of the building envelopes and implementing technical equipment inside the buildings. The project has minimal impact on the site's external landscaping, except for the creation of an external walkway connecting the 1st and 2nd floors of buildings 02 and 03, and the extension of the multi-sports hall.



The main outdoor spaces being redeveloped in this project are the immediate surroundings of building 03, including the walkway area and the north courtyard where the multi-sports hall will be located. The majority of the existing landscaping will be preserved. Our only intervention involves dividing the north courtyard into two patios using the extension. These patios will feature planted areas, preserving existing tree species and introducing additional shade-tolerant varieties.



The walkway is made of a metal frame, echoing the two other external walkways built at different times in the school’s history (buildings 01, 06, and 07 between 1880-1900, and building 05 in 1997). We opted for a precast concrete slab floor in a stone tone with a 40cm overhang, which refines the profile of the floor's edge to create a light, slim element. Between the columns, we have included a metal balustrade with vertical bars, designed to be as slim as possible to allow a transparent view of the historical façade behind it. The roof is made of zinc, reflecting the design of the existing walkways. Additionally, to frame the circulation spaces, we will add a perforated expanded metal underside, subtly revealing the metal frame while ensuring fire safety stability.
For landscaping, we will occasionally place seating elements in the form of posts on the ground floor, following the same construction system: a metal base and a precast concrete seat.


Located within a protected architectural zone, we pay close attention to preserving the heritage character of the buildings. Our main intervention will be on the south façade of building 03 (the science building), where we will periodically cut the lower sections of the windows to create access points between classrooms and the exterior walkway. Our program involves replacing all the windows on this façade to improve thermal comfort and meet accessibility standards. During this work, we will reconstruct the existing stone framing around the doors to maintain the original detailing.



On the north façade of building 03, we will reuse some of the existing air vents, add new ones, and seal off others. The goal is to minimize the visual and olfactory impact (although the latter is not visible from the street), with only the air intake vents located on the façade, while exhaust vents will be placed on the roof.
The extension of the multi-sports hall is positioned perpendicular to building 03, dividing the north courtyard into two patios. These patios are planted, and peripheral concrete walkways provide a connection between the buildings.



The building’s volume is a quadrilateral, with the two opposite façades facing the patios featuring aluminum windows (RAL 7040) matching the color of the existing windows on the campus. The façades are clad in horizontal Castries stone panels (20x60cm) to blend with the surrounding buildings. The roof is made of zinc to avoid interfering with the windows on the first floor, allowing the multi-sports hall to have the same height as the ground-floor rooms of building 03.
This also creates a visual connection to the existing walkway roofs in courtyards B and C. Similar to the walkway of building 03, we will install a perforated metal underside on the roof, which extends inside the volume to enhance the transparency effect and improve sound absorption in the space.



Our intervention in terms of planting is limited to the north courtyard, around the two patios on either side of the extension. We will preserve an existing tree and introduce new plantings that are well-suited to the climate and require minimal water consumption.

