Ameller & Dubois Associés

Extension of labs, classrooms, audiovisual library, restaurant. Site protected by Historic Landmark status.

Now an international reference in the luxury industry, the ISIPCA (standing for International Superior Institute Of Perfumery, Cosmetics And Food Aroma) is Europe’s leading school for chemical engeneering related to fragrance and flavor. It was founded by Guerlain with the University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.

In 2000, the ISIPCA decided to extend its campus, which already seemed undersized in the 90’s. The project aims to expand the school’s intake capacity and fitting it to its reputation.

The Institute is situated in the sensitive environnement of a residential area in Versailles. This location calls for a contemporary and metaphorical treatment, richly contrasting the different architectural styles of the two pavilions on site. It dynamically reinforces the Institute’s brand name.

The lobby fits between the two major parts of the building, which are at right angles; a position that allows a degree of transparency regarding each element’s function: common spaces on one hand, and educational space on the other.

The common spaces lead the visitor to the heart of the campus : The cafeteria, fully transparent, overlooks the park, and is topped by the library and the conference room. These items are sheltered by a geometrically pure element, hooded with terracotta.

Elevated to a half-level, the classrooms stick to the natural terrain, while remaining within the regulatory limits of building height. Framed with white concrete, they seem to float above the offices below.

The horizontal  nature of it all offers a simple resonance to the high vertical character of the park.
The rear façade, a subtle blend of smooth blue stone, shelters the laboratories.

LOCATION
Versailles [Yvelines, France]

CLIENT
CCI de Versailles / Conseils généraux du Val d'Oise et des Yvelines

ARCHITECTS
Ameller Dubois & Associés, Paris office

ENGINEERING
Terrell & Rooke
E.T.B.

COSTS EXPERT
Jean-Pierre Tohier

SURFACE
3,400 m2

COST
6.2M€ HT

COMPLETION
First phase: 2004
Second phase: 2012

PRIZE
First Prize of the C.A.U.E des Yvelines for the 1995-2004 decade