The school group includes on the ground floor, the shared sports center, the leisure centre, the school restaurant, the media library, and the multipurpose room; in the basement, the parking lot and semi underground sports halls. At R+1, the nursery school of 10 classrooms and 4 versatile classrooms (allocated to one of the two schools depending on needs) ; and at R+2, the elementary school of 11 classrooms. The school group offers 4,200 m2 of accessible outdoor spaces, half of which are planted with greenery, both on the ground and the roof. The ground floor, as well as the rooftop garden, is shared with the neighborhood and accessible to residents and associations.

The project of the Joliot Curie school group responds to the challenges of today and tomorrow at different levels:

Surrounded by three imposing 11-storey residential blocks, the project blends into the urban landscape as a stepped building, whose primary quality is the preservation of open space-an urban breath for the neighborhood. It appears with its four successive terraces more like the extension of the ground, gently integrating into the district and opening the playgrounds to the south. The objective is to offer a facility that interacts with the city, demonstrating its openness to the neighborhood’s residents.

Conceived as a city within the city, its access points are arranged at the four cardinal points, connecting it to the surrounding neighborhood. Two internal streets divide the shared facilities on the ground floor, which are accessible outside school hours: the sports center, the catering center, the leisure center, the media library, and the multipurpose room. The central hall forms a north-south passage, bathed in light, that splits the building into two equivalent parts. From here, all parts of the school group can be accessed via two spiral staircases.

The rooftop garden, which includes vegetable gardens, an orchard, and a greenhouse, is also shared with the neighborhood and is accessible via two external staircases independent of the school.

The building structure consists of a concrete post-and-beam framework on an 8 x 8 m grid, using a minimum of material for maximum flexibility of use. This frugal and rational structure allows the building to adapt to changing uses and spatial needs over time by acting only on light partitioning. The technical networks are exposed, as only the material necessary for adequate acoustic quality has been used in the ceilings. The walls will be decorated with frescoes painted by the students, allowing them to take ownership of the building by participating in its completion.

The building supports pedagogical developments by offering many freely usable spaces that allow work outside the classroom. Similarly, both schools (kindergarten on the first floor and elementary on the second) are designed like small cities, where classrooms overlook streets and squares that host theaters, workshops, and indoor spaces, promoting collaboration and enabling students to work autonomously, in groups, or individually.The circulation areas become active, diverse spaces capable of adapting school activities to the rhythms and physiological needs of children.

Thanks to the continuous glass curtain walls, the classrooms are bathed in natural light. The school reconnects with the spirit of outdoor schools (built to combat tuberculosis in the early 20th century) by seeking spatial continuity between the interior and exterior. Each classroom has its own balcony or terrace, allowing classes to be held outside in good weather, to grow plants, conduct experiments, or tinker outdoors. The thick facade, created through the flowing balconies, is the architectural device essential for this transparency: in addition to the auxiliary uses it provides, it protects the glass façade from direct solar radiation, ensuring summer comfort, maintaining privacy for occupants from the street, and protects the wooden façade from rain, thus facilitating maintenance.

The project uses a significant amount of bio-sourced materials ; all interior and exterior joinery, false ceilings, and furniture are made of solid wood or wood wool. With its minimalist and rational structure, the building is designed for the long term, anticipating the evolution of uses and thereby delaying its obsolescence.

In addition to the two playgrounds originally planned, the project includes a ground-floor garden and a roof garden, which will bring freshness and nature not only to the school but also to the entire neighborhood. On the roof, an inaccessible Natura 2020 area allows flora and fauna to thrive freely. Rainwater seeps into the ground-floor garden and is made visible in a playful display of chains and funnels in the schoolyards to raise children’s awareness of natural resources.

Whether outside or inside the building, the project is designed to offer maximum freedom for students, teachers, and even neighbors, in order to stimulate interest and well-being at school and contribute to reducing academic failure through the environment. As Loris Malaguzzi of the Reggio pedagogy said, "The third teacher is space !"