City Hall in Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande
- Heide Wessely
This project posed several challenges. On a small budget the architects had to accommodate a large schedule of rooms in a manner signalling the building’s civic nature. They designed a 2-tiered square beneath which part of the program is contained. With its ramps and stairs the square has become the new centre of the community. Obliquely cut seating stairs lead to the upper square, where a walkable skylight and a light well bring daylight to the spaces below. Light also plays a central role in the main building. Its facade, of perforated aluminium plate, is animated by hinged solar-control shades. When the building is lit from within, its loggias, windows, and shades exhibit different degrees of permeability.
