Community Arts Center and Youth Club, The main challenge for the conception of this youth facility located along the river Vence, was obviously to magnify the imposing perspective on the surrounding mountains: l’Aiguille de Quaix and the col de la Charmette. So in order to reveal this scenery the building had no other option but to be discreet and the choice was made to bury it partially into the ground. And thus this building arises from the ground and coils up around its roof, covered with a shaggy vegetal whig. The project then displays two different faces. From the street, it gives the impression of merging into the undulations of the site, whereas from the park it reads like a detachment from the ground revealing its various stratifications. If the first façade is deliberately meant to be discreet, the second one is clad in its colorfully striped dress, animated with playful openings. It stands as a revealing machine, displaying the landscape with its varied framings on the façade; as many paintings changing to the rhythm of the four seasons.
Courtesy of Mas Architecture
Built at street-level, it gives the impression of a smooth integration between the outside and the inside, as if one was almost sliding. In spite of appearances this building seems bigger from the inside than its silhouette might let us think.
Courtesy of Mas Architecture
It is composed of two wings, one devoted to work and the other one to leisure; the multipurpose reception hall is naturally integrated in the middle and extended by the exterior space: the patio. Standing at the very heart of the edifice, this courtyard recalls a green theatre, an agora, a stage for young people to communicate and socialize: an empty space they can use and accommodate at will.
Courtesy of Mas Architecture
On the green roof, the vegetation is 1 meter deep and the rainwater is collected to supply the bathroom installation while the air is treated with a balanced ventilation system. The building is entirely made of concrete (local product): raw and mineral at first sight, it then turns into a colored skin made of Nordic pine ( with wood stain).
Project Info
Architects: Mas Architecture
Country: France, Saint-Egrève
Area: 740 m²
Year: 2014
Photographs: Courtesy ofMas Architecture
Contracting Manager: Philippe MAS
Ecological Standards: BBC (Batiment basse consommation) energy efficieny standards
Isabelle Laurent is a Built Projects Editor at Arch2O, recognized for her editorial insight and passion for contemporary architecture. She holds a Master’s in Architectural Theory from École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville. Before joining Arch2O in 2016, she worked in a Paris-based architectural office and taught as a faculty adjunct at the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris. Isabelle focuses on curating projects around sustainability, adaptive reuse, and urban resilience. With a background in design and communication, she brings clarity to complex ideas and plays a key role in shaping Arch2O’s editorial