Portivechju, built on its promontory, developed for a long time around its historic center before opening up toward the sea. Its rampart which serves as both a fortification and a living space defines the town’s layout and reflects a constant dialogue between topography and architecture.
Located at the foot of this rampart, the school embraces this same logic. Arranged across two terraces, it is structured by a wall that connects the different levels while adapting to the slope. This rampart-like form becomes the project’s defining feature: through its shape, materials, and boldness, it extends the dialogue between history and landscape. The school thus emerges as a special place for passing on this heritage.
The new walls complement the existing structure while clarifying the pathways and uses of the courtyard. More than just a covered playground, the project offers a space for discovery where the materials themselves tell a story. The existing trees are highlighted by a ground pattern that encourages play and exploration. The engraved concrete walls evoke the history of the city and the school, serving as surfaces for play, rest, and climbing.
The children were involved in the project from the very beginning. Working with a local ceramic artist, they created ceramic tiles bearing their handprints. Incorporated into the walls, these tiles form a collective memory in which the architecture preserves the traces of its first inhabitants.
The project also reintroduces living elements: removing impervious surfaces, restoring the natural ground, creating a water feature, and planting native species. This presence of nature plays a vital role in the children’s education.
This approach extends to the construction itself. The sanded concrete walls incorporate crushed white limestone aggregate sourced from a former local quarry, in line with a philosophy of frugality and reducing the carbon footprint. The local wood frame makes the most of the region’s resources and creates a warm courtyard, designed as a true living space.
Concrete was the obvious choice for continuing the architectural style of the Portivechju ramparts.
Its structural capacity allowed us to create large load-bearing walls, freeing the courtyard from any intermediate supports, providing an open space, minimizing visual obstructions, and ensuring accessibility for emergency vehicles. We developed a concrete formulation incorporating crushed limestone aggregate sourced from a former local quarry, as part of a frugal approach inspired by vernacular know-how: building with local resources. Several trials of concrete formulations and finishes resulted in a mineral texture reminiscent of the stone in the ramparts while ensuring the structure’s durability. The concrete thus becomes structure, material, and memory—a medium for engravings and ceramic inlays created by the children—reconciling technical performance, regional roots, and quality of use.
