This university building is a place of shared and mutualised activities, adhering to the goal of initiating exchanges between various campus users: students, researchers, teachers and local employees.
The building establishes an architectural symbol, which prefigures the active and urban futures of Saclay’s campus. The different activites are organised in a series of superimposed terraces that range from a public square to a wide roof-terrace dedicated to sports.
A café, a university restaurant, a reception and entertainment area, fitness rooms and outdoor playgrounds are suspended vertically to provide panoramic views on every level over the landscape of the plateau of Saclay. The activities themselves become the real façade of the building, since they are visibly displayed toward the building’s exterior. A double monumental staircase, which serves as a central public space, articulates the various programs both visually and functionally.
This organization forges an open and flexible space, which operates 24 hours a day. All activities are accessible independently from the stair. On the broader district scale, a public square between the existing Engineering School and the future campus centre forms a new public space ideal for meetings and events, while serving all members of the community.
