The extension project of the primary and secondary school in Le Chenit is part of a strategy to centralize educational facilities in the Vallée de Joux. Located on the “Chez-le-Maître” site, it involves the partial demolition of existing buildings and the construction of a new structure connected to the current school, ensuring functional and spatial continuity of the school complex.

The program includes sports facilities and teaching spaces. The ground floor mainly accommodates sports facilities, including a gymnasium, a proprioception room and a dojo, as well as a cafeteria. The basement is dedicated to changing rooms, technical rooms and a gymnastics room. The upper floors host the teaching spaces, comprising fifteen classrooms and six specialized rooms, meeting current and future educational needs.

The structural design is based on a rational and sustainable approach, highlighting the use of local timber from communal forests. The structure combines a reinforced concrete base, including the basement, a general raft foundation of approximately 3,000 m², as well as vertical circulation cores and selected walls, with a superstructure in glued laminated timber (glulam) and cross-laminated timber (CLT) for the upper levels. Timber floors consist of joists combined with CLT panels, working in composite action and completed with gravel ballast to ensure the required acoustic performance.

The load-bearing system relies on concrete shear walls and a timber frame, ensuring efficient load transfer. Horizontal stability is provided by reinforced concrete cores as well as bracing systems, notably in the façades for the large spans of the sports hall.

The façades, developed in coherence with the load-bearing structure, express a sober architecture inspired by the industrial character of the valley and its watchmaking heritage. The repetition of façade elements creates a regular rhythm reminiscent of production buildings. Raw materials, timber and steel, reinforce the project’s simple and functional expression. Timber elements bring warmth, while wood detailing softens the building’s industrial image.

The project involves significant earthworks, with an excavation volume of approximately 24,000 m³. Retaining structures consist of soil nailing walls and Berlin-type retaining walls in confined areas, while slopes are formed where conditions allow.

Construction takes place on an occupied site, with the school remaining operational throughout the works, requiring specific phasing and site organization.Finally, the project.

includes forward-looking elements, notably the potential future development of a rooftop multisport area above the gymnasium, as well as a local timber strategy reinforcing the project’s territorial and environmental integration.