4 unités LC - Architecture Insights

The Rooftop School
128. Another empty space of
the school – painstakingly
refurbished and yet unused
due to difficulties with the local
government.
As with Rezé and Marseille, the ‘Unité’ of Firminy-Vert includes a
roof top school on the terrace level of the building. The school in
this design, however, is much bigger than any of the other schools,
being split over three levels, and able to accommodate up to eight
classes of maternal to first year primary school children. 29
The school had been intended to service, not only the ‘Unité’ on
which it was sited, but equally the two other ‘Unités’ that had been
proposed for Firminy-Vert, as well as other residents of the
surrounding area. A school of such size was admitted by the local
council in this case, as the town did not have any educational
facilities with in the immediate area at the time. As the population of
the region actually decreased following the ‘Unité’s completion,
however, the school only ever ran a maximum of five classes, which
was later reduced to just two before the closure of the school in
1999.
201 202
129-130. Renovated
classrooms of the rooftop
school, still waiting to be put to
use.