Reinventing a vibrant site

The outer shell of the French L’Ampli youth centre building is just as dynamic as the activities taking place inside: unorthodox, animated and unmistakable.

L'Ampli Lieu pour jeunes - Fontenay-le-Fleury

A music centre in France

The youth centre in the French commune of Fontenay-le-Fleury is named L’Ampli, meaning “the amplifier”. As the name suggests, a great deal of energy flows through this place, particularly musical energy. Previously a school, the building has been repurposed to create a location for activities and events connected to the music centre. It incorporates a web radio station, a rehearsal and recording studio and a concert hall.

To this end, the building was comprehensively renovated and gave a dynamic outer envelope. The extracurricular project for the youth of the town was initiated and advertised by the commune of Fontenay-le-Fleury. The architectural competition was ultimately won by the firm Architectureo in collaboration with the architectural practice Hamadryade.

Contrasts add excitement

For the team of architects, the main objective of the task was to reinvent the former school and to turn it into a place that would be well received by young people. Initially, the renovations were not planned to be quite so extensive, but the task turned into a large project after all: only the walls of the main building were retained. Extra floors and an extension were added to create more space. The architects quickly decided on hand-moulded Terca terracotta bricks in matt black with a slight grey shade for the façades and Vauban tiles in black for the roof to create an interplay of contrasts between the materials.

The cladding used on the main building creates clear lines while the textured surface adds interest to the look. “The rough, dynamic aspect of the Terca bricks and the option of combining them with both the black Vauban tiles and metal outer façade structure is fantastic”, says architect Emilie Ouazi.

Dialogue between reflections

In addition to the aesthetic qualities, Architectureo and Hamadryade also wanted to fulfil certain thermal requirements. In particular, they wanted to exceed the performance stipulated by the RT2012 thermal insulation regulation. Minimal maintenance of the façade bricks and roof tiles was one of the deciding factors when selecting the materials: the rugged and authentic appearance of the ceramic construction materials will not be impaired for many years to come.

The impression created by the combination of black bricks and tiles generates a dialogue. The mortar joints chosen by the design team produce a contrasting yet still homogeneous result. In this way, the former school was turned into a feel-good location for young people to let off steam, learn, jam and immerse themselves in music.