Les Violettes School Complex: A Nature-Inspired Learning Environment by HEMAA

• Client: Municipality of Mareil-Marly
• Location: Mareil-Marly (78), France
• Program: Extension of a school complex with 13 classrooms and a recreation center
• Environmental Features: Bio-based construction with a wooden structure, natural wool insulation, timber and mirrored aluminum façade cladding, wood fiber ceilings
• Certification: E=C Label – Level E3
• Budget: €7.3 million
• Areas:
  • Gross Floor Area (SDP): 1,997 m²
  • Usable Floor Area (SU): 1,852 m²
  • Net Floor Area (SHON): 2,074 m²
  • Outdoor Spaces: 2,824 m²
• Timeline: 2020 – 2024
• Design Team: HEMAA Architectes (lead architects) in collaboration with Hesters Oyon Architectes (competition phase), OTE – Engineering Office, OTELIO – Environmental Engineering
• Photography: Nicolas Da Silva and Sergio Grazia

The Parisian architectural firm HEMAA, led by Charles Hesters and Pierre Martin-Saint-Etienne, has completed the Les Violettes school complex in Mareil-Marly, France. Delivered in November 2024, the project was commissioned by the city and includes 16 classrooms, a new kindergarten, an elementary school extension, and a recreation center. Spanning 2,000 square meters, this innovative educational facility embodies a harmonious relationship between architecture and nature.

A School in the Trees: Integrating Education with Nature

Set on the elevated terrain of Mareil-Marly, the Les Violettes school complex blends seamlessly with its lush surroundings. The site, bordered by a dense canopy of remarkable trees, offers panoramic views of the Paris metropolitan area, including the iconic La Défense skyline. The existing school buildings, developed over various periods, nestle into this verdant landscape, creating an ideal learning environment for children.

Inspired by this setting, HEMAA conceived a “garden school” that enhances and preserves the site’s natural qualities. The design employs a material palette of wood and glass, reflecting the surrounding foliage while promoting openness and transparency. The spatial organization fosters a sense of connection between indoor and outdoor spaces, reinforcing the school’s immersive natural experience.

Maximizing Outdoor Space and Natural Light

To optimize playground areas sheltered from prevailing winds, the two new buildings are positioned at the western edge of the site. These structures, along with the existing elementary school, are connected by two luminous double-height passageways. The first passage serves as the elementary school’s main hall, while the second combines the kindergarten hall with a covered play area, ensuring an abundance of natural light.

The kindergarten, designed entirely on the ground floor, provides each classroom with direct access to the courtyard—an essential request from the teaching staff. Courtyards, both old and new, feature expanded open-ground areas around existing trees, allowing rainwater to be naturally absorbed and supporting sustainable site management.

Evocative and Poetic Materiality

A lightweight, prefabricated wooden structure, sourced from French forests, was chosen to minimize construction noise and disruption to the school community. The design highlights the fragmented nature of the complex, distinguishing the ground floor from the upper level through varied material treatments.

The ground floor—serving as a visual anchor for children—is clad in vertical wooden slats made of factory-treated French Douglas fir with a pre-aged gray finish, ensuring long-term aesthetic stability. In contrast, the upper level features a reflective skin of mirrored aluminum panels interspersed with glass, mirroring the trees, sky, and changing seasons. The softly curved and taut roofs appear to float above the courtyards, enhancing the project’s lightness and fluidity.

A Sustainable and Thoughtful Interior

Inside, raw materials take precedence. The wooden framework remains exposed, while prefabricated concrete walls provide structural stability. Acoustics are carefully managed with compacted natural wood fiber placed between beams, and insulation is made of wood wool. Utility systems remain visible yet seamlessly integrated.

The compact layout prioritizes playground space, incorporating central corridors flanked by classrooms on either side. These corridors are naturally illuminated through interior windows and glazed circulation ends, ensuring every part of the school benefits from views of the outdoors and surrounding greenery.

Located in the heart of Mareil-Marly, adjacent to the town hall, Les Violettes school complex stands as a model for sustainable, nature-integrated educational architecture—offering students an inspiring and ecologically responsible learning environment.