The creation of the new middle school offers the municipality of Chaumes-en-Retz an opportunity to enhance the pathways and circulation in the neighborhood, located at the intersection between the village center’s residential areas and local sports facilities. The proposed project embodies this idea of connectivity, positioned at the boundary between the village’s urban environment and the typical bocage landscape of the Pays de Retz, by creating a link between these two settings.
More than just a school building, this new collège strengthens the relationship between people and nature, between architecture and site, through an approach focused on generating new types of gathering spaces within a coherent urban framework. By prioritizing practical use and embracing its landscape-driven vocation, our project stands apart from passing architectural trends while remaining unmistakably contemporary.
The Chaumes-en-Retz middle school project addresses key environmental challenges :
– Use of bio-based, local materials with low carbon impact, minimal processing, and recyclability—such as wood;
A low-tech yet high-performing energy system using a wood boiler, a climate well, and energy recovery on cooling units.
– Energy and carbon performance:
Cep ≤ 0.80 Cep max RT2012 / Bbio < 0.70 Bbio max RT2012 / E3C1 standard / Airtightness < 0.8 m³/(h·m²)
An HQE-type environmental approach guided by four major themes : 1. Materials and Resources, 2. Energy and Consumption, 3. Comfort and Maintenance, 4. Health and Landscape
Client
Loire-Atlantique Departmental Council
Design Team
Architect : AIA Architectes
All-trades Engineering & Cost Management : AIA Ingénierie
Environmental Expertise : AIA Environnement
Project Management & Coordination : AIA Management
Landscape Design : AIA Territoires
Acoustics : Gamba
Fire Safety Systems : Namixis
Kitchen Consultant : BEGC
Program
Construction of a 600-student middle school (20 classes), including :
– A canteen with on-site meal production
– 4 staff housing units
– A U.L.I.S. section (Local Unit for School Inclusion)
Certifications & Environmental Standards
E+C- approach: E3C1
Bio-based materials strategy – Level 2 (local, low-carbon materials)
NF HQE tertiary building certification
Airtightness < 0.8 m³/h·m²
Area
8,105 m² GFA
Cost
€9.5 million (excl. VAT)
Timeline
Competition : 2020
Completion : September 2024