The program spaces have different public activities, where their reading rooms are distributed over three levels in a single space that is articulated based on a continuous route around a void that accompanies the visitor from the ground floor. Through a play of volumes and heights inside, the spaces flow in a way that ends on the viewing terrace on the top level.
Taking flexibility into account, the presence and size of the structures are reduced in search of a bright and inspiring environment for students. The use of wood finishes in the interior adds warmth to the spaces, generating a comfortable and pleasant atmosphere that contrasts with the great luminosity transmitted by the white metal lattice that surrounds the perimeter of the building.
The Learning Center is a flagship project of Paris-Saclay University, which commissioned the building, and the urban planning and development authority EPA Paris-Saclay, which has overseen the construction project. The project has been selected for the FAD 2024 awards.
LUMEN University of Saclay by Beaudouin Architects and MGM Arquitectos. Photograph by Fernando Guerra.
Project description by Beaudouin Architects and MGM Arquitectos
The “Lumen”, a learning centre at the University of Paris Saclay, is based on a sober and expressive design due to its unifying program. The curved lines of the project soften the angular geometry of the site and accompany the arc traced by the aerial metro. The building is largely open to the outside and seeks lightness. The use of white metal columns, to filter the light, makes it possible to install an intermediate space between the public domain and the library interior. The steel structure is a tree structure protecting the interior by allowing a softened and changing light to filter through. The intermediate space serves as an extension of the park facing the building.
LUMEN University of Saclay by Beaudouin Architects and MGM Arquitectos. Photograph by Fernando Guerra.
The Lumen is formed of a single space rising in a spiral around an atrium. The space is fluid, it offers a slow drift among the collections and suggests the sharing of knowledge. The atmosphere of the building is bright, calm and serene, to convey the pleasure of reading and researching. The building takes this flexibility into account, reducing the presence and size of the structures. The spaces are discovered in a succession of perspectives open from one place to another, where each function is easily identifiable. A belvedere terrace on the last level is the culmination of this interior journey.
