Collège Crevin

Graphic concrete façade of Collège Crevin in France inspired by famous artists and scientists
 
An impressive new school building with a 350-square-metre graphic concrete façade was inaugurated on Friday 5 September in Bretagne, France. The façade depicts 28 famous persons from Bretagne, including the author Colette, the artist Clotilde Vautier, the film director Charles Vanel and the poet Gilles Fournel.

The façade of the Collège Crevin was designed by architect Jean-Francois Golhen, for whom the surrounding environment is an important factor when selecting the location, style and techniques used in the implementation of each project. Golhen describes the Collège Crevin as being one of the largest graphic concrete projects in Europe. It is also the first project in which Golhen himself has used graphic concrete.

The design was realised by rasterising photos of the famous artists and scientists and then transferring the images onto the surface of the concrete using the membrane technique patented by Finnish company Graphic Concrete Oy.

“This technique enables the image to be reproduced accurately regardless of weather conditions or the viewing angle,” says Jean-Francois Golhen. “It offers unlimited opportunities to play with different colours and patterns. The design can be seen from afar, and the result is similar to a print.”

The Collège Crevin is an upper secondary school with 600 pupils. The buildings cover 4800 square metres. Construction began in May 2013 and was completed in June 2014.

Collège Crevin (Ile et Vilaine)

Architect: Atelier Jean-François GOLHEN, Rennes Concrete element factory: MSA (Morin Système Architectonique)