French architecture studio Coldefy, in collaboration with Relief Architecture, has completed the 650-pupil Robert Badinter Secondary School, the first timber-framed school in northern France. Located in the town of Cambrai, the project occupies a former railyard site adjacent to the train station, a ten-minute walk from the town centre. Its position and programme form part of a wider urban renewal initiative aimed at consolidating public transport infrastructure while introducing new civic amenities.
The school sits on the site of Cambrai’s former Vauban fortifications moat, part of a seventeenth-century defensive system, and is underlain by catiches, subterranean chalk quarries typical of the region. These voids were filled to stabilise the ground before construction could begin.
Urban presence and massing
Conceived as a public landmark, the school addresses the 1858 train station with a cantilevered main volume that clearly marks the entrance. A generous timber porch opens towards the town, guiding students from the public realm towards more protected interior spaces. A cut-out in the porch roof accommodates a pre-existing tree, allowing the new structure to form around an established element of the site.
The two-storey teaching block runs parallel to an existing line of trees that extends along the length of the plot, reinforcing the street edge and contributing to the emerging urban framework. A lower volume accommodates the cafeteria and staff facilities and is set back from the street with a landscaped area. Together, the two buildings enclose a courtyard that incorporates a playground, sports fields with a running track, and a forty-space staff parking area.
Roof form and material expression
The main building is defined by an offset double-pitched roof, a form that recalls the industrial character of nearby railway halls while supporting a contemporary timber structure. Timber cladding is used throughout, expressing the modular logic of the construction system and lending the school a consistent material identity. The elevations respond to the internal programme and orientation, balancing openness and privacy according to use.
Interior organisation, shared spaces, and adaptability
Internally, the school is organised around a double-height central hall, conceived as a floor-to-ceiling open space that connects classrooms and staff areas across both levels. An upper-level balcony overlooks the hall below, maintaining visual continuity throughout the building. Skylights introduce diffuse natural light into circulation spaces, shaping a shared interior environment for movement between lessons.
At ground level, a covered walkway links teaching spaces, the cafeteria, staff areas, and a covered playground. This sheltered route functions as a social threshold, allowing a gradual transition between outside and inside. A large south-facing roof overhang provides passive shading, reducing glare and limiting solar gain during the summer months.
The single-storey cafeteria opens directly onto landscaped gardens through a glazed frontage, visually connecting dining spaces with nature. The staff parking area is positioned discreetly at the rear of the site and is heavily planted. Its layout anticipates future change and could accommodate an extension that would complete the urban block.
Community facilities and adaptive reuse
Across the street, Coldefy and Relief Architecture converted a remaining section of a historic train shed completed in 1906. Originally part of a 150-metre-long, 30-metre-wide structure, the retained portion has been transformed into a 934-square-metre multi-purpose sports hall.
The project preserves the red brick exterior while introducing a light-filled interior clad in OSB panels. The original iron trusses remain exposed, contributing to the spatial character of the hall. Designed for shared use, the sports facility is accessible to the wider community outside school hours.
Environmental approach
The project has achieved ‘Excellent’ certification under France’s HQE (High Environmental Quality) system and holds a Low Carbon Building label. A bioclimatic approach informs the building’s environmental strategy. Heating is primarily supplied by a biomass boiler fuelled with locally sourced pellets, covering around 80 percent of demand. Photovoltaic panels provide approximately 15 percent of the school’s electricity needs, while a rainwater harvesting system supplies up to 50 percent of water required for bathroom facilities.
