Yellow mesh box sits atop Ateliers O-S's truck-driving school building in France
Pupils at this school near Paris take lessons on driving large trucks in a building topped with a perforated aluminium canopy, designed to evoke the look of a petrol station (+ slideshow).
![School extension at Coulommiers by Ateliers O-S Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Highschool-extension-at-Coulommiers-by-Ateliers-O-S-architectes_dezeen_sq.jpg)
The classroom pavilion is one of two interventions by local firm Ateliers O-S Architectes as part of ongoing improvements to the Lycee Des Metiers Georges Cormier technical high school, which is located in a rural area in the commune of Coulommiers.
The firm also extended a workshop for vehicular maintenance and repair – one of the school's areas of specialism.
![School extension at Coulommiers by Ateliers O-S Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Highschool-extension-at-Coulommiers-by-Ateliers-O-S-architectes_dezeen_468_4.jpg)
The two facilities are located in separate areas of a campus originally designed in 1969 by French architect Émile Aillaud, which comprises concrete structures decorated with green or blue mosaic.
![School extension at Coulommiers by Ateliers O-S Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Highschool-extension-at-Coulommiers-by-Ateliers-O-S-architectes_dezeen_468_1.jpg)
Both the new teaching building and the workshop reference the pixellated mosaic surfaces of Aillaud's design through their panelled facade treatment.
![School extension at Coulommiers by Ateliers O-S Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Highschool-extension-at-Coulommiers-by-Ateliers-O-S-architectes_dezeen_468_3.jpg)
The classroom block is located alongside a new car park and track for test-driving heavy trucks. Its top-heavy form gives it a significant presence and a sense of scale that matches the size of the vehicles moving around outside.
![School extension at Coulommiers by Ateliers O-S Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Highschool-extension-at-Coulommiers-by-Ateliers-O-S-architectes_dezeen_468_2.jpg)
"The building is like a control tower facing a driving track that is part of the design," architect Gaël Le Nouëne told Dezeen. "The classrooms are in a visual relationship with the track."
![School extension at Coulommiers by Ateliers O-S Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Highschool-extension-at-Coulommiers-by-Ateliers-O-S-architectes_dezeen_468_7.jpg)
The cantilevered canopy is intended to evoke a petrol station or a highway toll point and provides a sheltered waiting area between the track and the classroom.
![School extension at Coulommiers by Ateliers O-S Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Highschool-extension-at-Coulommiers-by-Ateliers-O-S-architectes_dezeen_468_9.jpg)
The aluminium panels also complement the campus's industrial aesthetic and allude to the material used by students when repairing the bodywork of vehicles.
![School extension at Coulommiers by Ateliers O-S Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Highschool-extension-at-Coulommiers-by-Ateliers-O-S-architectes_dezeen_468_6.jpg)
Mesh surfaces lighten the structure's overall aesthetic, while the application of paint in various shades of yellow evokes the hue of typical farm machinery such as tractors and diggers.
![School extension at Coulommiers by Ateliers O-S Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Highschool-extension-at-Coulommiers-by-Ateliers-O-S-architectes_dezeen_468_10.jpg)
A screen made from perforated rectangular panels extends along the entire frontage of the workshop building, uniting the solid volumes and outdoor mechanical plant areas.
![School extension at Coulommiers by Ateliers O-S Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Highschool-extension-at-Coulommiers-by-Ateliers-O-S-architectes_dezeen_468_8-e1423844621270.jpg)
The extension allows partial views through its mesh surface and introduces colour to maintain a feeling of consistency with the rest of the campus buildings.
![School extension at Coulommiers by Ateliers O-S Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Highschool-extension-at-Coulommiers-by-Ateliers-O-S-architectes_dezeen_468_5.jpg)
"The extension is like a screen facade that hides the technical amenities," suggested Le Nouëne. "It is designed as a new facade that enhances the existing building, like a filter, giving it unity."
Photography is by Vincent Baur.
Project credits:
Project team: Vincent Baur, Guillaume Colboc, Gaël Le Nouëne, Aurelie Louesdon (design phase)
Consultant: Betom
Building companies: Canard, Aimedieu, Missenard Quint, Colas
![School extension at Coulommiers by Ateliers O-S Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Highschool-extension-at-Coulommiers-by-Ateliers-O-S-architectes_dezeen_1.gif)
![School extension at Coulommiers by Ateliers O-S Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Highschool-extension-at-Coulommiers-by-Ateliers-O-S-architectes_dezeen_2.gif)
![School extension at Coulommiers by Ateliers O-S Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Highschool-extension-at-Coulommiers-by-Ateliers-O-S-architectes_dezeen_3.gif)