Infrastructure Isae-Supmeca Engineering School / Carriere Didier Gazeau

Architects: Carriere Didier Gazeau
Area: 525 m²
Year: 2024
Photographs: Olivier Knepper
Manufacturers: Carriere Didier Gazeau
Category: Infrastructure, Educational Architecture
Design Team: Carriere Didier Gazeau
Engineering & Consulting > Structural: Carriere Didier Gazeau
Engineering & Consulting > MEP: EPI
City: Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine
Country: France

Infrastructure Isae-Supmeca Engineering School infrastructure project by Carriere Didier Gazeau in Saint-Ouen, France reconnects the two halves of the campus divided by the new road network created for the Athletes’ Village, restoring functional continuity to the school. The intervention introduces a subterranean gallery beneath the newly inserted road, linking the 19th-century historic building on the south with the contemporary 2009 extension to the north. The gallery, constructed with red-stained reinforced concrete referencing the historic brick facades, features shotcrete surfaces and red porphyry aggregate flooring to create material unity. It serves both as a functional passage and a new gathering space for students and staff. The execution, done entirely on an occupied site, involved significant excavation and structural engineering to preserve the existing buildings’ integrity and use during construction.

Infrastructure isae-supmeca engineering school / carriere didier gazeau

Located in Saint-Ouen in the northern suburbs of Paris, the site of the Isae-Supmeca Engineering School experienced major spatial disruption due to the urban redevelopment project linked to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which introduced a new road that cut through the campus. To restore functional continuity, the project proposes a new underground connection between the two separated buildings, passing beneath the newly constructed road.

To the south, the new link connects to the historic Isae-Supmeca building, formerly the Ecole Nationale Professionnelle de Commerce et d’Industrie de Saint-Ouen, which features a classically designed 19th-century structure defined by its symmetrical layout, consistent construction, and ordered facades. To the north, it joins the 2009 school extension, which houses the auditorium and adopts a distinctly contemporary architectural language. From an urban perspective, the gallery acts as a transitional element that reconciles Saint-Ouen’s historic character with the recent urban development surrounding the Athletes’ Village.

As a central component of the project, the underground link beneath the historic building and new street was designed to function as more than a simple passage. Its two surface points are marked by distinct canopies—one newly introduced in the historic courtyard, the other reinterpreted in front of the auditorium. Beyond its connective role, the gallery becomes a space actively used by the campus community. On the historic side, the canopy is placed at the center-right of the courtyard, serving as a visual marker and shelter while enclosing a spiral staircase that descends fluidly into the gallery. This circular canopy appears as an abstract disc suspended in the courtyard. On the auditorium side, the gallery transitions to the surface through a simpler form, featuring staircases aligned with the building’s contemporary design.

Constructed from reinforced concrete, the infrastructure is coated with a red stain that echoes the ornamental brickwork of the historic building while allowing the material’s texture to remain visible. The untreated shotcrete surfaces highlight the construction process behind the structure. This approach extends to the interior floors, staircases, and gallery, where red porphyry aggregates ensure visual continuity with the stained concrete walls.

Serving as both infrastructure and architectural space for the campus, the project demanded complex construction and structural strategies to maintain the existing buildings and their functions throughout the works. Executed entirely on an occupied site, the creation of the reconnection gallery at the Isae-Supmeca School presented significant operational challenges. The process required partial excavation of the school’s two courtyards and the careful tunneling of the gallery beneath the historic building, all while safeguarding the structural stability of both existing structures.