The proposal conceived by HEMAA is organized on a single floor around a wide, glazed interior street that runs north to south through the building, connecting its two entrances and serving as a central axis for circulation and gathering. Three pavilions are distributed along this street: the first houses the cultural area, with a double-height multipurpose hall for 180 people, a dance studio, and a kitchen; the other two contain the municipal offices, a daycare center, and sociocultural spaces.
In terms of construction, the building combines a timber-framed structure with straw-bale insulation, a concrete basement, and solid brick facades featuring plinths, latticework, and reliefs. The green roof retains rainwater, which is then reused for irrigation, while the lightweight roof of the interior street incorporates photovoltaic panels. Furthermore, the wooden window frames with exterior sunshades and the double-skin glazed enclosure of the multipurpose hall improve the building's thermal, lighting, and acoustic performance.
Jacques Prévert Public Services Center by HEMAA. Photograph by Sergio Grazia.
Project description by HEMAA
A Bridge Within the Neighbourhood
In Évry-Courcouronnes, HEMAA designed the Jacques Prévert Public Services Center (MSP), a unifying facility embodying public policy and local community services. Open to all city residents, it constitutes a new hub bridging two districts: Les Pyramides and Le Bois Sauvage.
Under one roof, the building houses a rich, multifunctional, and inclusive program that brings together a range of public services: a branch town hall, a parenting center, a 30-cot nursery, a cultural space with a 180-seat multipurpose performance hall and a dance studio, a sociocultural space with art and music rooms and workshops, and a third place with Internet access for all.
A Building in Continuity With Public Space
Naturally lit and generously glazed, a large interior street runs from north to south and forms the building’s spine. The building stands out as a space for various uses and gatherings, inviting residents to step inside this intergenerational community hub. It is lined by a planted patio dedicated to the youngest children and punctuated with outdoor relaxation areas accessible to all, helping to create a warm and welcoming place conducive to exchange.
As a direct extension of the public space, this interior street also structures the relationship between the building and the city. Bordered by public spaces on all four sides, the MSP has two distinct entrances on the north and south sides, at either end of the interior street, encouraging connections with the two public forecourts.
The facility establishes a strong link with its surroundings: the Jules Ferry promenade—a greenway crossing the city toward the Seine—and Place Jules Vallès, where the project asserts its presence through a display window and the entrance to the nursery.
A Building That Celebrates Évry’s Heritage
While the glass walls create transparency toward the forecourts, the solid brick façade resonates with the architectural heritage of the new town of Évry-Courcouronnes. Its emblematic landmarks include Les Pyramides, designed by Michel Andrault and Pierre Parat, and the cathedral by Mario Botta. Together, these works of architecture help shape the still-emerging identity of this new town.
The Jules Vallès forecourt, located beside the multi-activity reception area, is sheltered by a canopy and enclosed. The façade along Allée de la Poule Rousse is designed as a peristyle that protects the children’s gardens from the street. Screen walls conceal the delivery area and the entrance to the underground parking. Depending on the context, the brick adopts different forms—as a base course, screen wall, or projection—to create plays of shadow and relief.
While its materiality gives the project architectural unity, the different clusters that make up the multipurpose program are clearly distinguished through a legible and well-structured organization. Three pavilions, corresponding to different programmatic entities, stand along the interior street.
To the east, the first pavilion houses the cultural space, incorporating the catering kitchen, dance studio, and large double-height multipurpose hall. On either side of a central patio, two additional pavilions are arranged perpendicular to the interior street. They accommodate the branch town hall, nursery, and sociocultural space.
A Building Rooted in an Environmental Approach
Both traditional and natural, the brick reflects the environmental approach behind the building, which is constructed with a timber frame and straw insulation. Its red hue affirms the public character of the structure. By day and by night, the building creates a signal that is both striking and familiar within the neighborhood.
The building is crowned by a roof garden visible to residents of the neighboring buildings. These hanging gardens reinforce the greening of the site as an extension of the plantings in the public space. The roofs are designed as an ecological refuge at the crossroads of the city’s green spaces.
The diversity of habitats created provides environments for threatened flora and fauna while encouraging bird nesting. This vegetated covering draws on the logic of nature to promote biodiversity on the site and help combat landscape fragmentation. Meanwhile, the lightweight roof over the interior street supports photovoltaic panels that produce part of the electricity consumed directly on-site.
The construction principles establish the fundamental conditions for guaranteeing a low-carbon building. The structure consists entirely of a timber frame insulated with 37-centimeter edge-laid straw bales. The low-carbon concrete basement and solid-brick façades underwent an ATEx technical assessment due to this unusual combination of timber and brick.
Stormwater management relies on retention within the roof garden, supplemented by a collection tank. The stored water is reused to irrigate the plantings through a drip system, ensuring a controlled water supply that encourages root establishment.
The wooden window and door frames are fitted with exterior blinds to protect against solar radiation and provide blackout when required. In the large hall, acoustic comfort is ensured by a double-skin glazed wall.
A Building Designed for Living Together
Exemplary from an environmental standpoint, the MSP is equally notable for the way it operates. Its single-level layout and interior street allow users to find their way easily. Built around conviviality and exchange, the building creates the conditions for a strong relationship between inside and outside and for greater porosity with the city.
Inside, wood is used across the ceilings, walls, and furnishings, bringing warmth and acoustic comfort to a building designed to welcome. Since its completion, the building has hosted numerous events, including a polling station, a neighborhood festival, and an Iftar dinner. As a symbol of this hospitality, the generously proportioned interior street forms a central space ready to be fully embraced by the community.
Far more than a public facility, this building symbolizes a neighborhood undergoing renewal and a territory in the midst of transformation. As the beating heart of the urban regeneration taking place in the neighborhood, the Maison des Services Publics is a political building in the truest and noblest sense of the word: a place to come together, tackle challenges, bridge divides, and build a city.
