NEOMA Business School

The school is integrated into the overall structure of the master plan, with façades aligned along the northern edge of the site and a more open structure toward the canal in the south, allowing for views and natural light in this area. The entire campus has a strong internal coherence and brings life to its surroundings.

A central east-west passage connects the campus to the neighborhood and offers views of the various outdoor spaces within the project.

The master plan includes tree-lined pathways running north to south. For the NEOMA site, we took our landscape strategy a step further by creating a student park that spans the entire length of the site. This also pays tribute to the former industrial zone, where greenery always found its way through the small cracks in the pavement. It is in these cracks that life emerges and flourishes.

At the center of the project, we placed the heart of the school: a timber structure housing all student social functions, including student associations, the cafeteria, and the learning center. This central timber building is designed as a large, visible structure accessible from all sides.

As it descends toward the canal, it features expansive rooftop terraces on every level, encouraging students to use the outdoor spaces for studying, gathering, and enjoying a 360° panoramic view of Reims.

The program includes a significant number of classrooms and more formal teaching spaces. We propose to frame the campus with these spaces using a simple concrete post-and-beam structure, capable of adapting to future changes in teaching methods. These “framework buildings” define the site boundaries, with recesses for entrances, and can be extended in a later phase.

Their concrete post-and-beam structure also makes them highly flexible buildings, where partitions can be modified in the future without major interventions. All areas are well-lit thanks to generous glazed surfaces and offer wide views of the surrounding nature.

The central timber structure contrasts with the surrounding concrete buildings. It serves as a gathering place, housing all student life areas. Highly visible and open on all sides, it is extended by terraces with pergolas on every level. We envisioned it as a warm and vibrant space.

It is also a building we designed as a “toolbox” — adaptable and future-ready — built with a timber post-and-beam framework that will allow for new uses to emerge as needs evolve.

The upper part of the façade features an alternating rhythm of windows and solid metal panels. Slim metal fins provide shading while adding depth to the façade.

In industrial architecture, the load-bearing structure is often exposed. In steel frame construction, as seen in the existing buildings on the site, cross-bracing is used between two columns. We chose to integrate this element to echo the site's history while maintaining a resolutely contemporary approach.

Timber Building Façade

The façade of the timber building is composed of wooden frames and louvers that serve as solar protection. The post-and-beam timber structure also extends outward, creating large pergolas. The building steps down toward the canal in a series of inviting terraces.