New Massy Secondary School – by Ameller Dubois

The new secondary school, which was opened in autumn 2024, pays tribute to Claudine Hermann, a pioneer for equality in science and technology. Located on the edge of a park in Massy, the college blends perfectly into the surrounding green space. The new secondary school for 800 pupils is a model for future school buildings. Designed by the Ameller Dubois architectural firm, the Collège meets high standards of energy efficiency, ecological construction, and identity-forming design. The hallmark of the new school building is its horizontally layered render facade with rounded corners.

A building for the next generation: Collège Claudine Hermann

Efficient, sustainable, and non-combustible
The timber construction is insulated with mineral wool. With a heat transfer coefficient of less than 0.15 W/(m²K), the entire wall structure contributes significantly to the building's excellent energy rating: with low CO₂ emissions and an excellent overall energy balance during operation, the project complies with the French E3C1 energy standard.
With 60 mm thick mineral wool on the outside and BA18 plasterboards on the inside, the load-bearing timber structure is safely protected in the event of a fire.
Striking details

The rounded corners provide a visually striking detail, gently transitioning into the individual angles of the U-shaped cube structure.
Photo: © Manuel Panaget, Le Mesnil-le-Roi, FR
A place with a real identity
The name sends a clear message about the direction the new college will take: a building that promotes equality between girls and boys, a place that fosters social integration, and that perceives itself as a place of holistic education.
“Claudine Hermann was a French physicist who became the first female professor at the École Polytechnique and lived in Massy. She was a woman who dedicated her life to advocating for equality between women and men.“’ Stéphane Védrenne, Ameller Dubois.
Photo: © Hugo Hebrard, Paris, FR
As a showcase project for future educational buildings, the new school combines functional, aesthetic, and ecological qualities. This includes having a responsible attitude towards the natural world and its finite resources, with the dual aim of conserving existing habitats and of preserving them for future generations. Energy is generated by a solar power system on the roof. Passive strategies such as sun protection elements prevent solar heat gain. Rainwater is collected and used in building operations.
Photo: © Manuel Panaget, Le Mesnil-le-Roi, FR
The elongated building is clad in a light-coloured render facade. The rounded corners provide a visually striking detail, gently transitioning into the individual angles of the U-shaped cube structure.
Photo: © Manuel Panaget, Le Mesnil-le-Roi, FR
On a site formerly used by Air France as a training centre for aviation professions, the architectural firm Ameller Dubois has designed the school complex which comprises several buildings. It is characterised by spacious green areas and mature trees, which were deliberately integrated into the planning. Great importance was attached to harmoniously integrating the buildings into the existing green space.
Showing respect for the natural world
Adjacent to the park, which has the German equivalent of Grade 2 listed status in the UK, this secondary school’s large space requirements were addressed by building a compact three-storey structure that blends in with the surrounding landscape.
Versatile open space design
Natural elements already present on the site were identified by the planners, preserved and integrated into the open space concept. This resulted in the creation of six specific green space areas: a grassy hill with seating, a lofty clearing, a garden of sciences, micro-reserves for local flora and fauna, and a forest area.
A particular highlight of this open space design can be found in the inner courtyard of the school complex. The wings of the building frame the central playground on three sides, in the middle of which an old cedar tree has been preserved. It is the defining green element of the space, providing shade and serving as an eye-catching meeting place.
Reduction in construction volume
The school building is divided into a single-storey, solid base made of brown-coloured exposed concrete. The two upper storeys have a timber-frame construction. The offset levels of this construction visually break up the large building volume into individual layers that are embedded in the sloping plot in a stepped pattern. Photo: © Hugo Hebrard, Paris, FR
Hybrid timber construction
The Collège was built as a hybrid structure comprising a solid concrete base with a timber-frame structure for the upper floors. Thanks to the high-performance facade construction, ambitious energy efficiency and sustainability requirements were met without compromising fire safety.

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Meet the architects:

Ameller Dubois Paris

Stéphane Védrenne and Paul Pressensé on Claudine Hermann, the namesake of the new secondary school:

“She was also known for her strong environmental awareness.
I hope she would be proud that this building now carries her name.”

VIDEO: Sustainable School Building of the Next Generation: Collège Claudine Hermann in Massy (07:17)

Curved lines

The school building is clad in a light-coloured render surface. Narrow, ochre-coloured metal edges run around the entire building, emphasizing its horizontal orientation. The large volume of the building is visually reduced. This was achieved through perfectly executed details such as rounded building corners, a fine-grained render surface, a narrow parapet and seamless material transitions.

Rounded corners

Instead of hard edges, gentle curves transition into the various angles of the facade. The rounded inner and outer corners could be finished so precisely with the fine-grained StoSignature render surface that even glancing light falls evenly across the facade.
“The important thing is for everything to be smooth and free of irregularities. We had to cut into the insulation on the back of the panel at the outer curves. The opposite is true for inside curves. We cut the plate on the front side.”
Naim Ben Yaala, Artib SAS

Photo: © Hugo Hebrard, Paris, FR
Uniform shadows cast on the rounded outer and inner corners of the school building

Photos: Manuel Panaget, Le Mesnil-le-Roi, FR
Fine-grained render surface

A warm white render surface with a fine-grained texture was used for the upper storeys to maintain the very smooth appearance of the facade.
“Faceting the facade was out of the question. Consequently, we needed this material because it would enable us to achieve continuity without joints or interruptions in the material. The rounded corners of the facade were our biggest challenge.”
Paul Pressensé, Ameller Dubois

The fine-grained render surface harmonises very well with the colour of the metal cladding. The facade symbolises both naturalness and modernity. Photo: Hugo Hebrard, Paris, FR

Construction sign

Country: France
City: Massy
Year Completed: 2025
Architect: Ameller Dubois, Paris, FR
Owner: Conseil Départemental de l‘Essone, Evry, FR
Applicator: Artib SAS, Limeil-Brévannes, FR
Products: External wall insulation system (StoTherm Mineral), StoSignature Texture: Rough 1 (Stolit K 1,0 render)
Photos: Manuel Panaget, Le Mesnil-le-Roi, FR; Hugo Hebrard, Paris, FR