Lycée DESCARTES – Rabat, Morocco
Title
Lycée DESCARTES – Rabat, Morocco
Designed by
ARPIO Architects
Image Credit
© Jean-Claude Laffitte
Website Source
Project Description
Project description provided by ARPIO Architects - With nearly three decades of experience, ARPIO Architects continues to shape major architectural projects in Morocco and abroad, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, context-driven design, and innovative spatial solutions.
In the redesign of High school Descartes in Rabat, selected through an international competition organized by the French Embassy and the AEFE, ARPIO leads the architectural direction. For this project, Coco Architecture was engaged as a consulting firm, bringing strategic insight and architectural advisory services to support the project’s development.
The design concept is rooted in a reinterpretation of the traditional Moroccan house: buildings organized around a central courtyard that regulates sunlight, ventilation, and temperature naturally. This bioclimatic approach enhances energy performance while ensuring optimal thermal and acoustic comfort for everyday learning.
The new school extension is articulated through three distinct building volumes, each hosting one of the institution’s core functions. Their staggered and fragmented configuration—punctuated by patios and open voids—helps break down the overall scale of the complex, softening its visual impact from both the interior courtyard and the surrounding streetscape. By removing a third floor, the design maintains a consistent parapet height across all buildings, visually aligning the old and new structures on campus.
The administrative block, positioned at the edge of the main courtyard, enjoys a wide view over the entrance and central yard, reinforcing its functional role in the school's organization. Circulation between classrooms is supported by shaded walkways, which double as sheltered social spaces. These paths are equipped with drainage systems and finished with durable metal coverings to ensure resilience and aesthetic coherence.
Responding to Rabat’s sun exposure, vertical sun-breakers made from white fiber-reinforced concrete were installed along the east and west façades. These elements serve as a second skin, protecting interior spaces while introducing texture and rhythm to the building’s exterior. Select openings within this screen allow vegetation to emerge, bringing nature into dialogue with architecture.
Horizontal overhangs project from the rooftop to provide structural support and shading, while also acting as safety barriers. The roofscape alternates between green planting zones and gravel walkways, creating an ecological space that can also host small events. A trellis system shades the guest terrace, filtering sunlight and enhancing usability throughout the year.
The architectural language remains unified and restrained, tying the 1963 building with the contemporary addition. In the learning areas, inverted beams and solid slabs were used to achieve flat ceiling finishes. Windows incorporate solid spandrels to integrate structural elements while optimizing daylight access and limiting excessive glazing at lower levels.
This project demonstrates how ARPIO Architects, delivers a design that is context-sensitive, efficient, and educationally enriching—redefining how learning environments are imagined for the future.
