Located in a former industrial cotton mill in the Alps of Val d’Aosta, the exterior walls are preserved as an existing box, on the inside, the students’ rooms and the social spaces.

The new and the old are separated by a mediating buffer strip: an intimate and warm space, wooden lounges that dialogue with the preserved masonry, overlooking the landscape.

A triple-height foyer with a large spiral staircase acts as a hinge between the permeable public spaces of the ground floor and the bridge connecting the school behind. The stairs and the large skylight echo the industrial genius loci. The existing cast iron paneling becomes movable, increasing the flexibility of the space.