Sorbonne's Clignancourt Centre

Ambition for city and university:
Designed by gaëlle péneau architectes associés, The University of Paris IV-Sorbonne’s Clignancourt Centre was built in 1968 on a former military site located between Boulevard Ney and the Paris Beltway, in the city’s 18th arrondissement. Its renovation, begun in 2009, is part of the redevelopment of the entire Clignancourt neighborhood. Three areas in the Clignancourt Centre are open to the general public: the library, the gymnasium, and the auditorium.

photography by © 11h45

These three elements provide unity to the whole and are directly visible from the road; each has a strong, recognizable identity. Two imposing structures frame the site to the North and West: the OPAC housing block and the SAGI university accommodation which blocks views and sunlight but serves as an acoustic screen against the Beltway. To the East, however, the site is completely open to the vast Poissonniers sports grounds and is bordered to the South by the quiet, residential Rue F. De Croiset.

In this dense and developing environment, the center was rebuilt around a central garden with four distinct volumes serving four different functions. The library, the gymnasium, and the auditorium face the city and make up the Centre’s main façade, while to the East the monumental façade of the teaching wing marks the edge of the site. The raised volume of the main auditorium is accessed through a courtyard, the threshold between road and Centre, which provides a visual connection to the interior through the withdrawn, glass-paneled entry hall.

photography by © 11h45

On the Rue F. De Croiset, the library and the gymnasium are superimposed, while the teaching wing’s monumental façade marks the Centre out on a city-wide scale and makes it visible from the Beltway.

Single, contemporary material:
The choice of alveolar polycarbonate as the only material establishes the Centre’s contemporary identity. Colors are used to identify each of these volumes by function. The choice of colors references university symbolism: daffodil yellow, traditionally associated with the arts, literature, and philosophy, is used for the library’s envelope, but also links the different buildings through lines and ribbons which echo throughout the volumes.

The color gold emphasizes the auditorium’s envelope, marking it out as the Centre’s flagship building, but also indicating the entrance to the site. The light grey and opalescent of the teaching wing and gymnasium are a counterpoint to these strong colors.

photography by © 11h45

Project Info:
Architects: gaëlle péneau architectes associés
Project Year: 2013
Project Area: 20212.0 m2
Manufacturers: Muebles Cook
Architectes Associés: SPV Management
Photographs: 11h45
Project Management: Bouygues bâtiment Île-de-France
Project Location: University of Paris, Université Diderot Paris 7, 1 Rue Victor Cousin, 75005 Paris, France
Project Name: Sorbonne’s Clignancourt Centre