Science villages: enter a new era!
In January 2020, the University of Montpellier gave its largest site, the Triolet Campus, a facelift. Carried out as part of Operation Campus, this project, dubbed Village des Sciences, has provided the campus with two new buildings.
A new entrance to the campus
Numbered 36, this first building is the new gateway to the Faculty of Science. Open to the city and crossing it, it forms a covered passageway providing access to the Triolet campus from Place Eugène Bataillon. The perforated lacework adorning its façade is a binary translation of the great names in the history of science since Antiquity. Designed over five floors and covering an area of 8,660 square meters, it is entirely dedicated to teaching. "It includes nine lecture halls, 40 tutorial rooms, and nine computer rooms that are fully adapted to our educational needs," explains Alain Hoffman, director of the Faculty. There are also several living spaces, a terrace, a loggia, and bleachers.
A building dedicated to biology and ecology
Marked in its identity by its excellence in biology and ecology, the University has dedicated Building 35 to them. "It brings together in a single location the teaching and administrative services that were previously spread across three sites," continues the director. Spread over three floors, the building has 25 practical work rooms and preparation rooms. "It allows practical sessions to be organized for groups of twenty people and meets the storage requirements for products and equipment in accordance with safety and hygiene regulations." The building, which has a greenhouse, also provides access to educational green spaces and existing experimental grounds on campus.
Science and art
Visual artist Vincent Mauger was chosen to create the ceiling for Building 36 in the Village des Sciences. His work will join the heritage acquired over nearly 60 years by the Faculty of Science as part of the 1% artistic program: Pol Bury's Columns (1974), the frescoes and cladding of the university library by Yvaral (1972), the tapestry by François Desnoyer (1972), and the Seven Signs of Life by Albert Dupin (1970). Another notable work is the "Homage to Confucius," commissioned in 2000 by the city's mayor, Georges Frêche, from sculptor Alain Jacquet, a representative of French pop art. Humorously renamed "the donut-sausage" by generations of students, this work, located at the entrance to the campus, is now one of the symbols of the student spirit that also characterizes the University.
Phase B
The second phase of the project, called Villages des sciences B, will continue with the demolition of the current Building 6 and its replacement with a project covering approximately 5,000 m² of floor space divided into two sections. The first, dedicated to teaching, will house the physics, computer science, mechanics, and EEA (electronics, electrical engineering, and automation) departments. Its construction will incorporate the specific requirements of these disciplines (floor loads, anti-vibration processes, etc.). The second section will be dedicated to students and preventive medicine.
The construction of the Science Village is accompanied by a major landscaping project, including the redevelopment of the outdoor spaces on the Montpellier North, Triolet, Balard, and Route de Mende campuses. The goal is to promote soft mobility, improve accessibility for people with reduced mobility, and make our faculty, once again, a place that is up to the challenges of today.