Combining a Cozy Cocoon with wonderful views

Located 18 miles from Limoges, on the outskirts of Briance, the village of Pierre-Buffière (87) perches atop the valley that surrounds it. OX ARCHITECTURES placed these leafy surroundings at the heart of its project to rebuild the Jean Peyraud elementary school. The 10,764 f² project winds around the edges of the plot, offering students and teaching staff stunning views of the Limousin hills. To address a small plot that includes a slope with a drop of twenty feet to the west, the project features an overhang on stilts.

Completed last November, the school is now home to two kindergarten classes (junior and intermediate), three elementary school classes (CE2, CM1 and CM2), a preschool, an exercise room and a multimedia room – all under one roof. Built to replace the previous building, it redistributes the space to create an entirely separate construction from the middle school. The outward-facing facades and roofs feature an aluminum diamond cladding in a zinc gray and gold color scheme. The scales subtly complement the organic shape of the building that echoes its surroundings.

Committed to maintaining a link between the interior and the surrounding landscape, architects Marie REMILLAC and Laurent BILLAT called for SageGlass® dynamic glazing in the classrooms, multimedia room and shared studio facing west and south-east.

“The huge benefit of SageGlass glazing is the smart way it controls the sun’s rays. This helps maintain the advantages of glass while dispensing with its major disadvantages: glare and overheating, whichever way the building faces, whenever and whatever the weather. The influx of natural light and the view of the outdoors are preserved, creating a sense of comfort and well-being. These benefits also have a positive impact on students’ concentration and performance,” according to the architects.

Just under 536 f² of SageGlass double glazing (subject to DTA), or 1/3 of the entire glazed surface, was fitted on the building on 17 fixed and tilt/turn aluminum frames by Limoges-based Miroiterie Raynaud SAS (Aluminier Agréé Technal). SageGlass glazing automatically adjusts its tint level to the level of sunlight. It subtly controls the amount of heat and light entering the room while preserving a constant connection with the outside world. Pulling down blinds and closing shades to prevent glare and reduce heat is a thing of the past. Students and teachers alike enjoy visual, acoustic and thermal comfort suitable for concentration and creativity, key elements that shape educational attainment. The glazing’s heat regulation also helps to reduce the school’s running costs (energy and maintenance bills). SageGlass is on hand to support the project owner in the long term: the company gathers feedback on user experience, allowing it to adjust controls remotely or on site depending on requirements.

Natural light and landscapes – the keys to success

Many scientific studies have proven how crucial natural light and views of the outdoors are to the well-being of both adults and children, who spend more than 90% of their time inside buildings. No matter what level of solar protection, SageGlass glazing with variable tinting stays transparent, preserving these two elements that also stimulate cognitive function. This boosts children's concentration and capacity for learning. Views of the outdoors give the eyes a break and satisfy our need for distraction and connection with the world by erasing the border between inside and out (the concept of biophilia). This reduces occupants’ feelings of fatigue throughout the day, which has a particular impact on reducing absenteeism among teaching staff.

Shaded from view

From the outside, the tinted glazing protects students from prying eyes. A key feature for a school.

Discreet protection

One thing is crystal clear – silence matters. SageGlass glazing changes tint level in silence, in a gradual and natural way. Building occupants flourish in a comfortable environment, without even noticing that the dynamic glazing is largely responsible for their thermal comfort and pleasant lighting conditions.

Pleasant temperatures all year round

The dynamic solar control built into the glazing helps keep temperatures pleasant in the classroom all year round.

The smart way to control heat and light

The glazing is connected to a control system (at a low voltage of 2.5 V) that automatically regulates the tint level based on environmental settings throughout the day. Four states are defined based on the solar factor (g) and light transmission (TL):

“Clear” – g= 0.38 and TL 60% when it’s raining or the sun is rising or setting,
“Light” – g= 0.12 and TL 18% when the sun’s first rays appear,
“Strong” – g= 0.07 and TL 6% when better solar protection is required,
“Maximum” – g= 0.04 and TL 1% to protect against glare caused by direct sunlight.

The glazing can also tint on demand in manual mode using wall switches installed in the classrooms. A useful option if teachers need a little shade to put on the projector or read aloud in a calmer setting.

There are several economic beneftis: Smart glazing will allow the school to reduce its energy bills by regulating the influx of heat throughout the day and over the seasons. In summer, the building will require less air conditioning. In winter, the glazing will allow the heat from the sun to penetrate the building, reducing heating requirements.

The solution does away with maintenance requirements for traditional shade systems (shutters, sunshades and so on) – all the better for the section of the building on stilts, difficult to access from the exterior.

Support throughout the project

The SageGlass regional design manager attended meetings between OX ARCHITECTURES and the project owner. His product demonstrations helped officials and teaching staff alike check out and get on board with this innovative solution.

A dedicated project manager then helped to design a control system adapted to the school’s specific needs, and worked with the project owner, building contractor and electricians to ensure that everyone understood all the necessary information. As solar control is built into the coating of the double glazing, no shade system is required. The overall implementation of the facade is made simpler.

Once the glazing was fitted and the power connected, SageGlass configured the system based on the needs of the school and its occupants and tested all the system’s components. If required, it will also be possible to adjust the configuration remotely free of charge after several months up and running, based on changing requirements and each teacher’s preferences.