Designed by: @rerum_architectes
Captured by: @marygaudin
A new greenhouse and educational pavilion transform the rooftop of Collège Flora Tristan into a productive and educational urban farm. Located on top of a secondary school in Paris, the project supports Veni Verdi, an urban agriculture association that grows fruit, vegetables and flowers as part of the school’s educational programme. Originally designed as a school playground, the rooftop already offered spatial qualities suited to productive use. Developed through a participatory budget from the City of Paris, the project enhances this agricultural environment through a frugal approach responding to environmental and financial constraints.
The design introduces two complementary enclosed volumes: a greenhouse dedicated to crop production and an educational space divided into three learning areas. Open planting zones, including raised beds and areas of open ground, complete the environment. The project is organised around four principles: support, shelter, recycling and ventilation. To preserve the existing waterproofing as much as possible, a new galvanised steel structure spans from wall to wall, minimising interventions in the roof membrane while providing a robust framework for the new volumes.
The principle of shelter responds to both users and crops through different climatic envelopes. The greenhouse is wrapped in transparent polycarbonate to maximise solar gain and support plant growth, while the educational space uses a translucent envelope to provide balanced natural light and thermal comfort. Chosen for its durability and UV-management properties, and widely used in agricultural construction, polycarbonate adapts to the project’s dual agricultural and educational purpose. Water management also becomes both an operational and educational tool: a rainwater collection basin captures almost half of the rooftop runoff and redirects it to a dedicated agricultural tank, making the collection, storage and redistribution cycle visible.
The project also incorporates several strategies for atmospheric regulation. Roof openings reinterpret the language of traditional agricultural greenhouses and are equipped with an autonomous thermodynamic opening system. On the façades, alternating solid and perforated polycarbonate panels improve natural ventilation, supporting both crop health and user comfort. By organising the rooftop around these principles, the project integrates urban agriculture into the everyday life of the school while providing students with an immersive and practical learning environment.