Project Description
This project was selected as an Merit winner in ARCHITECT’s 2022 Architecture & Interiors Awards, Architecture: Institutional category.
“The simplicity and beauty achieved by using the same material throughout the structure is striking. It unifies the pavilion and creates an interesting visual juxtaposed with Versailles.” — Juror Denise Rush
New York-based MOS refers to their School No. 3, Petite École as a “one-room” schoolhouse. Located in the 17th-century courtyard of the Royal Stables at France’s Palace of Versailles, the 1,200-square-feet, open-air pavilion is part of Île-de-France’s inaugural Architecture and Landscape Biennial.
The “Petite École” sign atop the roof ridge boldly proclaims the project’s purpose, in letters taller than many of its users. The cartoon-like, bent and folded aluminum structure takes the paradigmatic form of a gabled roof. Supported by two beams sitting on ten columns above a single raised platform, the pavilion seemingly hovers over the ground.
Inside, stools and a single large communal table occupy the space, which is scaled for the pavilion’s chief constituency: young children. The project’s silvery material echoes the light grey gravel of the courtyard, with both structure and ground proving a monochromatic base for colorful interventions by its young occupants.
Durable and requiring little maintenance, the pavilion’s 688 pieces are demountable, allowing for easy re-installation in other locations. School No. 3, Petite École serves as an introduction to architecture, boldly proclaiming the power of design to a new generation.
PROJECT CREDITS:
Project: La Référence, Ganthier, Haiti
Client/Owner: La Reference
Nonprofit: Konekte Princeton Haiti
Architect: Studio PHH Architecture, New York. Pierre-Henri Hoppenot, AIA
Structural Engineer: Eckersley O’Callaghan Engineers. Gregor Horstmeyer, Charlotte Escudier
General Contractor: J.S.C. Construction
Size: 18,840 square feet
Cost: $1,170,000 = ~62/SF