Can architecture calm a neighborhood? Can a school reconcIle with an institution? Since 2004, the modest neighborhood of Devèze in the deep south-east town of Béziers has been subject to radical reconstruction. The parisian office O-S architectes, in conjunction with the Montpellier group NAS, have delivered a school made from sandy concrete with a roof which is a facade in itself. A one-story affair, the topography of which melds in with the backdrop of the now demolished social housing blocks. Few days after riots took place there, A H A lead a press visit in the presence of the architects and Robert Ménard, the far-right mayor of Béziers and a native of Devèze. When he says "high-security and repopulation", the architects responded "safety, porosity and serenity". To be continued... Because with O-S architects we believe that it's our responsibility not to desert any territory.
Photos by Cyrille Weiner.