What was the brief?
In the 9th arrondissement on the South side of Marseille, Lacube architectes has just completed the restructuring and extension of the Institution Sainte Trinité, a private educational establishment and home to a primary school as well as a lower and an upper secondary school.

What were the key challenges?
The former “road to Cassis” passes through this district, which extends southward in the direction of Les Calanques National Park. It is comprised of a tissue of residential zones and denser urban areas growing up around a core village. Over the years a number of modifications and additions have been grafted onto the school. These were all carried out in answer to the evolving needs of the institution. Here, the stated objectives were to restore functional coherence, improve the quality of the environment and initiate a general renewal by taking advantage of the rich potential of the location, the space and the vegetation. The project also aimed to strengthen the visual presence of the institution in the city and to rethink the layout of exterior spaces and the management of the main flows.

What materials did you choose and why?
A vernacular motif inspired by the vocabulary of the regional single house model, element of the flower-shaped trellised panel, inscribes the outline of the “trinity cross” in the thickness of the walls, adds a softness, an additional vibration to the simplicity of the volumes. Nature is placed at the center of the composition. The vast island of coolness is preserved. A prairie bordered by plane trees structures the site, giving it a contemplative character. A park offering student access extends this area, following the natural slope downward to the lower area of the site.

The historic building, former “boarding school for disadvantaged young girls of Mazargues”, has undergone a complete refurbishing (strengthening of the floorings, dual flow control mechanical ventilation, upgrading electrical and lighting standards). The façades have been completely renovated and coated with a traditional, artisanal lime render.

Team:
Client: Religieuses Trinitaires de Valence / OGEC Sainte Trinité
Assistant to the Contracting Authority: Christian Lions Patacchini, CCC
Architects: LACUBE Architectes (leading architect), ILR Architecture
Project management team: Coralie Geai, Lucie Marty
All trades: EGE - Acoustics: A2MS - Landscape: Marc Richier

Material Used:
Facade cladding: Perforated façade panels made of fiber-reinforced concrete are inserted between these structural lines. The same pattern, impressed into the curtain walls of the façade, clerestory for the panels, projects the interlaced curves of the “trinity cross”