The Robert Badinter Secondary School is Built Around Courtyards
Amy Duong — December 14, 2025 — Art & Design
References: coldefy.fr
The Robert Badinter Secondary School, designed by Coldefy is located in Amiens and organizes classrooms, shared facilities, and outdoor spaces across a terraced structure that follows the site’s natural topography. The school is arranged as a sequence of staggered volumes that reduce the visual scale of the building while creating multiple exterior courtyards and circulation routes for students. A central pedestrian spine connects teaching areas, administrative offices, and communal zones, allowing clear movement across levels without internal corridors dominating the plan.
Large glazed openings bring daylight into classrooms and common areas, while solid facade elements provide acoustic control and solar protection. The exterior is finished with a restrained palette of concrete, metal, and glass that supports durability and low maintenance. Outdoor terraces and planted areas are distributed throughout the campus, offering spaces for breaks and informal learning. The building accommodates secondary-level education while integrating architecture, landscape, and circulation into a cohesive school environment.
Image Credit: Julien Lanoo
Large glazed openings bring daylight into classrooms and common areas, while solid facade elements provide acoustic control and solar protection. The exterior is finished with a restrained palette of concrete, metal, and glass that supports durability and low maintenance. Outdoor terraces and planted areas are distributed throughout the campus, offering spaces for breaks and informal learning. The building accommodates secondary-level education while integrating architecture, landscape, and circulation into a cohesive school environment.
Image Credit: Julien Lanoo
Trend Themes
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Terraced Learning Environments — Schools are increasingly integrating terraced designs into their architecture, enhancing spatial dynamics and promoting innovative educational experiences.
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Biophilic Educational Spaces — Incorporating nature through planted areas and open courtyards in school designs facilitates a connection with the environment, promoting student well-being and ecological awareness.
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Multi-purpose School Facilities — The trend of creating flexible, shared learning environments within school complexes reflects a shift towards maximizing space utility and encouraging collaborative education.
Industry Implications
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Educational Architecture — Architectural firms focusing on educational spaces have the opportunity to pioneer design approaches that integrate landscape and structure into holistic learning environments.
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Sustainable Building Materials — The use of concrete, metal, and glass in school construction highlights the demand for durable, low-maintenance materials that accommodate aesthetic and practical demands.
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Landscape Design — Landscape design firms can play a critical role in creating outdoor educational spaces that provide aesthetic value and serve functional purposes like informal learning and relaxation.
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