Montpellier unveiled a sprawling new primary school in the La Paillade district on Tuesday, November 10, bringing together nearly 400 children into a modern facility built from stone and wood.
The newly minted L’école primaire Hélène Mandroux – Yvette Roudy sits inside the Pôle Éducatif des Halles Nord in the Mosson sector, according to Tout Montpellier. The campus merges three older, energy-inefficient schools—Boulloche, Woolf, and Roosevelt/Van Gogh—which are slated for demolition.
Students actually stepped into the spacious classrooms ahead of the formal ceremony, filing through the doors for the start of classes on November 2, 2026, as reported by ICI. Despite the change of address, the classroom configurations established at the start of the academic term in September 2026 remained entirely untouched, Tout Montpellier noted.
Named to honor two prominent political figures—former Montpellier mayor Hélène Mandroux and former women’s rights minister Yvette Roudy—the institution aims to anchor a broader revitalization of the working-class neighborhood. Alongside 22 primary and maternal classes, the educational hub houses a 60-crib nursery and a dedicated early childhood space.
Carved out of a budget of more than 25 M€ funded partially by state subsidies through the ANRU program, the complex employs heavy stone bases sourced from the Pont du Gard and local Castries quarries, topped with straw-insulated timber framing.
Ce bâtiment performant est conçu pour protéger les enfants des épisodes caniculaires, maintenant une température intérieure de 28 degrés Celsius lorsque les thermomètres extérieurs affichent 40 °C.
The outdoor areas emphasize environmental permeability to mitigate Montpellier’s chronic flood risks. Architect Antoine Lassus defended the choice of woodchip-covered, nearly 100 percent permeable schoolyards, noting that maintenance requires ongoing upkeep.
“So I understand that some project owners ask questions, the chips can get inside the buildings, and then it packs down so you have to put more back regularly,” Lassus told ICI. “But I think we are realizing that we cannot make ecological choices without a minimum of upkeep and maintenance.”
Beyond the physical structure—which includes rooftop sports facilities, self-service dining areas for older children, and bicycle parking—city officials view the project as a cornerstone for local social equity.
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Mayor Michaël Delafosse outlined companion investments destined for La Paillade, including a new branch of the Montpellier public hospital, upgraded aquatic facilities at the Neptune swimming pool, and the relocation of roughly 1,000 public service jobs to the district.
The inauguration event was attended by numerous officials, including Tasnime Akbaraly, deputy mayor delegated to the educational city, school success, and early childhood; Nelly Lacince, deputy mayor delegated to the Mosson district; and Carole Drucker-Godard, rector of the academic region of Occitanie and of the academy of Montpellier, alongside school director Vincent Genna.
“It’s so beautiful, it looks like an official building,” parents declared.
