Ada Lovelace Secondary School by A+ Architecture

Ada Lovelace Secondaty School is the first exemplary clean energy school (BEPOS), with a nowatt label and a silver level BDM for occitania...

Architect: A+ Architecture
Client: Le Gard Département - SPL 30
Location: Nîmes, Gard, France
Year: 2019
Surface area: 5,898 m2 (floor area) / 14,562 m2 (land)
Associate Architect: Vielliard & Fasciani
Photography: Benoit Wehrle

From the architect: The Anthropocene, i.e. the Age of Man, is the period in the history of the Earth that began when human activities had a significant and largely negative overall impact on the Earth’s ecosystem.

As architects, we have a responsibility to reduce the impact of our activities on the environment. Ada Lovelace secondary shool was therefore designed with this in mind. It is a sustainable and environmentally friendly building.

As the 1st  exemplary clean energy school (BEPOS) with the NoWatt label and silver level BDM for Occitania, the building offers future users – students and teachers – an amenity that has been designed in total harmony with its environment.

The stones covering the facade are locally sourced, the insulation is made of hemp and wood wool and solar panels were naturally installed on the roof, as the area receives a lot of sun.

Beyond these environmental basics, we have produced a contemporary, bold, powerful and dynamic architectural structure. We wanted people to be drawn to this place of education in this difficult neighbourhood. Shapes collide, as stainless-steel panels make it seem as though the facades are empty, which are broken up by rows of windows.

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