42UP School Extension / AR Studio d'Architectures – Redefining Vertical Educational Architecture in Paris

The 42UP School Extension, designed by AR Studio d'Architectures, is a groundbreaking vertical campus located in Paris's 17th arrondissement. Completed in 2025, this innovative extension transforms the original École 42 structure into a state-of-the-art educational facility that doubles capacity while minimizing its urban footprint. The project expands the school's area from 3,600 m² to 9,025 m², accommodating 1,400 workstations for a fully digital, teacher-free, and free-access learning environment operating 24/7.

Architectural Strategy: Preserving History, Expanding Innovation

Rather than demolishing the existing 1962 building, AR Studio preserved its historic fabric and added four base volumes and a five-story metal superstructure rising 18 meters above the original site. This approach highlights sustainable design, architectural frugality, and adaptive reuse, maintaining symbolic resonance with Bastion 42, the land’s original fortification.

The suspended metal building-bridge is a striking architectural feature, supported by vertical circulation towers with double Chambord staircases and a 42-meter beam, creating a column-free third floor balcony overlooking the city. This combination of structural boldness and architectural delicacy allowed construction to continue with minimal disruption to the active campus, temporarily relocating students to nearby dormitories during critical phases.

Innovative Façade: Perforated White Metal Skin

A micro-perforated white metal façade unifies old and new elements, contrasting with the original black exterior while harmonizing with neighboring NOC42 dormitories. The 1.17 x 1.17-meter grid transforms into dynamic triangular modules on the superstructure, while double-height glazing punctuates the envelope, flooding interiors with natural light. This performative façade provides essential solar protection for the building housing hundreds of heat-generating computers and adapts visually with changing weather and light conditions.

Urban Campus and Integrated Ecosystem

42UP integrates seamlessly with the surrounding NOC42 complex, offering 700 student beds along Boulevard Bessières and forming a vertical urban campus. This interconnected system represents a new model of urban educational infrastructure, where learning, living, and leisure co-exist within the dense city fabric, enhancing student experience and urban vitality.

Interior Design: Maximizing Space and Student Engagement

The school’s design prioritizes spatial efficiency and chronotopy, replacing traditional classrooms with open floors while offering intimate alcoves and peripheral circulation spaces for focus and collaboration. Acoustic optimization is achieved through wood wool ceiling panels and textile coverings, and each level features a distinct chromatic identity—red, green, or blue—for intuitive navigation.

Street art interventions curated by Nicolas Laugero Lasserre animate the four main staircases, transforming vertical circulation into immersive art experiences. Each stairwell celebrates unique artistic universes, enhancing wayfinding, spatial identity, and student inspiration.

Sustainability and Innovation

The project showcases eco-conscious design, adaptive reuse, and energy-efficient architecture in a dense urban context. Its combination of perforated façades, open spatial planning, and natural daylighting maximizes comfort while minimizing energy consumption. By preserving history, promoting learning without boundaries, and integrating art and technology, 42UP represents a visionary blueprint for the future of educational architecture.

All the photographs are works of Florent MICHEL_©11h45