Rehabilitation and extension of the Necker Faculty of Medicine - Paris Descartes University

From the start, the renovation of this building dating back to 1966, a potential 20th Century Heritage Site, posed a challenge. The renovation project also had to respect building codes for high-rises. The nine-storey tower – built in 1966 by Le Corbusier’s disciple André Wogenscky – had to receive a distinctive new entrance building, which lead the way into the underground podium level, the communicative heart of the ensemble. The restaurant and an enlarged library are now situated alongside the existing auditorium and seminar rooms. The entrance building develops the motif of the sunken patios, which bring daylight into the seminar rooms in the basement level, by spatially inverting them into a glazed building. The interplay between open and closed patios continues on the front square with more glass cubes, which also serve to light the library from above. The façade, comprising of glass elements of varying degrees of opacity, is another new feature. While retaining the original grid, it envelops the building and opens out on the short sides. Using only the most tactical interventions, Henn was able to reinforce the structure and reorganise space intended for research laboratories, auditoriums, classrooms, animal facilities and more. During the renovation process, the works of artist Martha Pan, André Wogenscky's companion, as well as a unique spectrum of colors created by the architect, were rediscovered and highlighted in the newly created spaces. The building's façade along the rue de Vaugirard was also remodelled to create a more visible entrance, offering a new "face" to the Modernist structure.