Groupe scolaire Léo-Gipoulou

English translation

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History

The former primary school and former complementary course (and middle school) of Valence d'Agen are situated to the west of the town centre, on the national road from Toulouse to Bordeaux. The project consisted of the construction of a school complex comprising a boys' school, a complementary course and a nursery school, the plans for which are signed by the architect Loïc Corlouër (1894-1982). He studied at the ENSBA, within the Daumet and Jaussely workshop and graduated on 7 June 1922. He is divisional architect of the Prefecture of Police, architect of the Permanent Assembly of Presidents of the agricultural chambers. He completed the hall of the headquarters of the Dépêche du Midi in Toulouse after the death of Léon Jaussely and was entrusted with numerous press facilities: the Télégramme de Brest, l'Yonne républicaine, L'Union de Reims, etc. The architect developed working relationships with Jean Baylet (1904-1959), administrative director then editor-in-chief of the Dépêche du Midi from 1927 and also mayor of Valence d'Agen from 1930 to 1940 following the death of his uncle Jean-Baptiste Chaumeil. He was also a deputy and general councillor of Tarn-et-Garonne for the Radical Party of the Left. His wife Evelyne, then his son Jean-Michel were mayor of Valence d'Agen until today (except 2001-2020 Jacques Bousquet, PRG). Loïc Corlouër designed the townhouse of Jean Baylet in Toulouse between 1933 and 1934 (registered historic monument in 2019) and numerous facilities in Valence d'Agen, a collaboration with the Baylet family which his nephew Yvonnick Corlouër (1932-2017) would continue. They notably realised the project for the Jules-Ferry girls' school. Yvonnick Corlouër joined his uncle in 1963 in his Toulouse office after studying at the ENSBA. He held the position of director of Urban Aesthetics for the city of Toulouse from 1964 to 1967, from which he resigned thus expressing his opposition to the demolition of Virebent's model house. The school complex which the municipality wished to construct comprises six boys' classes, two complementary course classes, three specialist teaching rooms and eight teachers' dwellings. The existing boys' school, comprising four classes and one dwelling, was included in the new project. A preliminary scheme was presented to the municipal council on 21 November 1946. The project received approval from the Prefect, the education inspector and was delayed because of post-war financial difficulties. In 1948, it was ranked first by the general council of Tarn-et-Garonne. The technical file was approved on 8 December 1949. Following the tender, the company Viala of Montauban was selected for the structural work contract in April 1950. In 1952, the painter Domergue Lagarde (1874-1952) was tasked with decorating the entrance hall under the 1% scheme of the grant awarded. He was a native of the commune, had created a fresco Pacification of Labour in the Palace of the AUF, commissioned by the State, and decorated the aviary of Moissac. We do not know if the commission was completed. The girls' boarding building was designed around 1951-1952 and was constructed by the Cahors company Ordy. The work was completed in 1955. From 1952 by decision of the municipal council, the municipality wished to acquire the Rebouis property including a two-storey building, its outbuildings and garden, adjoining the school. This decision was motivated to install three dwellings in the building and develop the immediate surroundings of the school. A project for extension with the creation of 4 classrooms and a dining hall was designed in 1959 but was ultimately realised only for the dining hall with the kitchens fitted out in an existing building block. The construction was carried out by the company Compagnies réunis d'Agen between 1969 and 1971. The buildings today serve other purposes: the building block facing the national road is occupied on the ground floor by the VFM radio station, the upper floor by the offices of the national education inspection. Subsequently, the music school and dance school took possession of the two former classroom buildings. The former nursery class and the dining hall are shared by associations.

Description

The site chosen to build the boys' school and the complementary course is located west of the city centre, on the national road from Toulouse to Bordeaux. About forty metres wide, it extends for 200 metres from the national road to the lateral canal to the Garonne below, presenting a drop of about twelve metres. The architect uses the slope of the site by creating three successive terraces. Following a north-south composition axis (top-bottom), the first building is placed in a U shape on the road and the following buildings are positioned along the plot boundaries, freeing the central space for recreation courtyards, separated and connected by large flights of steps. The buildings tend to open towards the landscape. The architect presents a symmetrical composition using classical references from the great Italian Renaissance villas and the belvedere (Bramante with the imperial villa at the Vatican). The flat part of the site below is used for sports fields and is accessible by a monumental flight of steps. On the first terrace level with the national road, the architect installs a U-shaped building whose wings come into alignment with the road. The forecourt is laid out as a garden with benches and plantings. This three-storey building imposes the public character of the facility and forms a filter with a large entrance hall controlling the rest of the programme. Two side entrances allow access to the hall which benefits from great ceiling height. It is widely open onto the recreation courtyard, which a central door allows access to. A monumental staircase in a single straight flight placed along the main façade allows access to the third level. On the ground floor, on one side is the provisions store, the kitchen and on the other, the headmaster's office and a set of washbasins, WCs and cloakrooms for the boarders. The third level is occupied by a vast dormitory and a bathroom placed at each end. The two wings in right angles of this first building are occupied on each level by a dwelling, accessible from side staircases. There are five dwellings in this building and three others fitted out in the Rebouis house purchased by the municipality. The last level of one of the two wings, communicating with the dormitory, is dedicated to the infirmary. This first terrace continues towards the south. It is framed by two side building blocks. One comprises the refectory, following the kitchen, and the other the infant classroom, having a large bathroom adjoining it. A corridor placed on the side façade allows access to the covered playgrounds, situated on the following terrace. The first recreation courtyard is probably dedicated to small children. The first terrace is delimited by a low wall and planted with trees. A central flight of steps allows access to the next terrace. This one is much larger, probably assigned to elementary school pupils. It is framed by two covered playgrounds, placed laterally. The one facing east constitutes the entrance for pupils from the allée Pé de Gleyze. This covered playground extends on the side of the small square to create two bicycle parking areas. The third terrace is accessible by a monumental central flight of steps, descending the equivalent of one storey height. Two blocks of covered sanitary facilities are installed on either side. This terrace is framed by two identical buildings developing over two levels and consisting of a bar block ending with a pavilion. This pavilion narrows the perspective of the belvedere at the end of the composition. One of the buildings is assigned to the boys' school and the other to the complementary course. On the courtyard level, a covered playground and a classroom and on the upper floor, three classrooms and a special teaching room (drawing, sciences, etc.). A bay between covered playground and classroom is used to install a staircase. A final large flight of steps allows access to the sports fields. The girls' boarding house was built behind the classroom building, accessible from the allée Pé de Gleyze. All school buildings are constructed in exposed brickwork, with occasional elements in reinforced concrete. Several decorative bonding patterns adorn the façades. The floors are constructed with hollow clay blocks and reinforced concrete. The large openings of the classrooms are framed by cement frames. The roofs are in tiles. The interior floors are in parquet and the interior plinths are made of small gravel concrete. The large washbasins in the corridors are in concrete with granito finish. The railing of the grand staircase of the entrance hall in ironwork starts with a reduced model of Saturn in metal and plexiglass. The wall lights of the hall resemble astronaut helmets. The main façade is divided into five bays of which the three central ones present large openings equipped with glass blocks. They light the grand staircase of the hall. The framing of the openings is achieved by a brick band and an archivolt. The spandrel is adorned with diagonal brickwork. The metal lettering 'groupe scolaire Léo Gipoulou' occupies the façade on the second level. A clock is positioned on the upper part of the central bay.