CAMPANILE
We built a 10-meter-high corten steel structure that functions as an iconic bell tower. It can be seen from any of the 360º surrounding it, serving as a visual reference point and a prominent feature of the everyday hustle and bustle of the LaSalle Beauvais University Campus in Paris.
Geometrically, we started with the footprint of a five-pointed star (the university emblem) that grows in height, forming a pentagon, and then opens up again into a star shape towards the sky, embracing the bells. The reddish tones of the Corten steel blend with the forest, emerging before it like the trunk of a tree, while contrasting with the gray background of the buildings, offering a warm counterpoint.
We chose Corten steel not only for its technical properties but also for its tectonic characteristics. Its intense color adds aesthetic power to the environment, and its texture of oxidized and unadorned hues gives us a sense of belonging to the place, as if it had always been there.
The structure emerges from a rectangular water plate, a mirror that reflects the forest and doubles the height of the Campanile. This creates a magical feeling of weightlessness and provides the majesty and spiritual peace of the water element.
Adjacent to this reflective film, we built a bench and a space of red brick. A terrace that is drawn between the forest floor and the asphalt of the esplanade, offering the campus a privileged space for contemplation, rest, and meeting where the student, the structure, and the environment enjoy a synergistic relationship.
The laws of nature - order, rhythm, measure, and proportion - translate into mathematical and geometrical patterns that the Greeks and Egyptians had already observed and used in the construction of their temples as a tribute to "creation".
Building is a responsibility, creating a new element that coexists harmoniously and naturally in its environment. That was my challenge in the Campanile project. Creating a bell tower in the middle of the campus that would function as an urban landmark, perceived from all 360º angles, and at the same time, seamlessly blend, on one hand, with the forested landscape, and on the other hand, with the built environment of the academic buildings. I was struck by the university's logo, which is a five-pointed star.
The pentalfa is a geometric figure that carries a great deal of symbolism as it contains concepts of sacred geometry in its design. By connecting all the vertices of a regular pentagon with lines, we obtain the star; its intersecting lines inscribe an inverted pentagon, and if we repeat the process (drawing lines connecting the vertices), we would again obtain the pentagon. Thus, we observe that this geometric figure contains infinity in its essence and is therefore a metaphor for the universe.
The Campanile starts from a star located above a sheet of water, grows into a pentagon, and then opens up again towards the sky, embracing the music of the bells in a pentalfa. It is a 10-meter-high steel structure, and its two trunks maintain the relationship of the golden section.
Elvira Guardia
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of LaSalle Beauvais University, they forged a bronze bell in Orleans with the initials of the Institute. Ten years later, for the 160th anniversary, they commissioned us to create a structure to house the bell and make it ring along with a musical carillon. Our challenge was to build a Campanile: a landmark around which student life revolves, a focal point for visitors, a corporate message, a strategic location, and a meeting point for campus residents.
The Campanile is located at the center of the main pedestrian axis, at the turning point between the forest leading to the old farm (now rehabilitated and converted into a Learning Center) and the large esplanade that extends between the main academic building and the bar-restaurant. As we had to resolve this transition, the implantation of the structure in the ground and its contact with the terrain are also fundamental parts of the project.
The structure is viewed from any of the 360º angles surrounding it, serving as a visual reference and marking the center of everyday bustle. We constructed a 10m tall structure using corten steel tubes. Geometrically, we started with the footprint of a five-pointed star (the university emblem) that grows in height, becoming a pentagon, and then opening again into a star shape towards the sky, embracing the bells.
The reddish tones of the corten steel blend with the forest, mimicking the tree trunks, and at the same time, contrasting with the grayish backdrop of the buildings, offering a warmth contrast. We chose corten steel not only for its technical properties but also for its tectonics, as the intensity of its color adds aesthetic power against its surroundings, and its texture of oxidized hues provides a sense of belonging to the place, as if it had always been there.
The structure emerges from a rectangular water sheet, a mirror that reflects the woods and doubles the height of the Campanile. It creates a magical sensation of weightlessness, providing majesty and the spiritual peace of the water element. Tangential to this film of reflections, we built a bench and a plaza of red bricks. A reddish enclave that stands out between the vegetal ground of the forest and the hard asphalt of the esplanade, offering the campus a privileged space for contemplation, rest, and meeting where the student, the structure, and the environment enjoy a synergistic relationship.
