The proposal for the transformation and extension of the ESSEC (École Supérieur des Sciences Économiques et Commerciales) Business School in Cergy-Pontoise is rooted in the qualities and specificities that define the existing campus: it unfolds like a double-layered slab organized around patios. Over more than 10,000 m², the project envisions the school’s renewal by the creation of a truly urban campus, with a 360° view on the outside world. It seeks to reaffirm the school’s international stature, through an open, transparent and modular architecture.

The new programs are organized in three new buildings: the “Sport and Recreation Center”, the “Research Green Tower”, and the “Learning Center”. The fourth part of the proposal is a pedestrian ring, open and green, striped of all parking spaces, extending the ground floor as a space for appropriation.

All three buildings are designed to offer the maximum amount of freedom by striping the space of structural and technical infrastructure. Their metallic frame allows for large spans and, in the context of construction in an occupied site, limits nuisances through prefabrication and dry-assembly.