HEC Campus Saclay

RSHP’s designs for the new student hub, the Coeur de campus, seek to generate a dynamic hub that animates and encourages creative interactions between students and staff, renewing the image and enriching the culture of this prestigious institution.

In addition to housing 17 auditoria, including the Blondeau lecture theatre which can accommodate an audience of 850, the building includes generous diversity of informal learnings spaces, a library, a learning centre, co-working spaces, support, offices and student services, as well as restaurants. Our flexible design also provides the ability to house major events including graduation ceremonies and concerts for up to 3000 people within an adaptable central space. This timber building is exemplary in terms of environmental performance, surpassing RE2028 standards.

Daylit throughout, the building blurs the boundaries between inside and outdoor spaces with a carefully layered façade that frames and engages with the bucolic landscapes of the campus.

Deploying an intelligent approach both to solar shading and orientation, as well as the flows across the campus, each one of the building’s elevations is different.

The design welcomes visitors to this unique campus, the sweep of the timber screen marking an entry sequence on axis that hovers above the landscaping, thereby transforming the image of HEC’s Haut Campus upon arrival.