IIM - Digital School Paris

Located near the Boulevard de Pesaro, the school of higher education specialized in Internet and multimedia (Institut Léonard de Vinci), opened its doors at the beginning of the school year in September 2021. Designed in the first phase of urban renewal of the Crescent sector (2015-2022), the school plays an important role in rebalancing the identity of the neighborhood.

By animating the boulevard of Pesaro, the building literally "gives to see" the life of the school. Indeed, the common programs have been grouped on the ground and second floors to form a transparent base. This opens up widely to the south towards the great fault, which has become a large mineral piazza, and to the north towards the ramp, which has been rehabilitated as a planted square, linking the two urban levels of the project. The first floor is composed of the cafeteria, the entrance hall and workshops, and also gives access to an auditorium of 170 seats.

The rhythm of the facades and floors is marked by brick and glass modules, where a regular and rigorous grid alternates with large elements of urban dialogue. The alternation of brick and glass produces a building that is both massive and transparent. Particular attention has been paid to the circulation, which is as important as the spaces it serves. Crossing and irrigating the school, the pathway reveals the diversity of the spaces in terms of height, form and assignments, but also the way they connect, becoming a progressive pathway, revealing and stimulating the life of the school.

A word about the architect

LAN (Local Architecture Network) was created by Benoit Jallon and Umberto Napolitano in 2002. The agency travels through new territories in search of a vision involving ecological, social, urban and functional issues. The agency's two partners were named Chevaliers de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2018.

The agency is behind the extension of the MAXXI Museum in Rome, the transformation of the Rive de Seine tower, the Maillon theater (Équerre d'argent 2020), the Euravenir tower (nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award 2015 and Prix Soufaché of the Academy of Architecture). They have also designed the experimental housing in Bègles (Venice Biennale 2016), the student residence in Rue Pajol (first national BigMat prize), the EDF departmental archives (Leaf Awards 2011). LAN is currently working in Europe (France, Belgium, Germany and Slovenia) and is opening up internationally through experiences in the Middle East and Asia.