European University Center Refurbishment and Modernization by Agence Vulcano-Gibello

Located within the Carnot-Ravinelle Campus in Nancy, the refurbishment and modernization of the European University Center reflects both a respect for history and a vision for the future of higher education. The site is steeped in cultural and academic heritage: the University Palace, inaugurated in 1862, once housed several of Nancy’s faculties and symbolized the city’s aspiration to be a hub of intellectual and civic influence. Over time, the campus evolved, with multiple buildings added to serve the growing demands of research and education.

The refurbishment project led by Agence Vulcano-Gibello focuses on Buildings I, J, and L, situated in an L-shaped configuration along the site’s northern and eastern boundaries. These structures form part of a dense urban fabric, standing in dialogue with both historic neighbors and a contemporary academic building by Christian François and Patricia Henrion. This context shaped the architectural intervention, which had to carefully balance heritage conservation, modern functionality, and the creation of new spatial experiences for students, faculty, and visitors alike.

Program and Circulation

The reorganization of the site integrates several academic entities, including the European University Centre (CEU), IPAG, IRT, and the College of Law, Economics, and Management. To unify these diverse institutions, the design team devised a functional plan that strategically distributes programs across the refurbished buildings while enhancing circulation and connectivity.

A key intervention was the demolition of Building I to create a new central circulation core. This contemporary volume, set slightly back from the line of Building J, forms a raised gallery that extends the campus forecourt and frames open views toward the inner courtyard. The heart of this new circulation space is a double central staircase, designed with wide landings that invite both movement and lingering. More than a utilitarian connector, this staircase functions as a social condenser, simultaneously serving as lobby, corridor, and informal gathering space.

The gallery embodies the project’s dual ambition: to facilitate academic flow while also offering moments for social interaction and intellectual exchange. It becomes the symbolic threshold of the new European University Center, embodying openness and accessibility.

Architectural Expression

Respecting the architectural character of the site was a central design principle. The intervention carefully preserves the heights, proportions, and rhythms of the original buildings, ensuring a harmonious dialogue between old and new. At the same time, the gallery introduces a distinct contemporary identity expressed through limestone concrete and a symmetrical plan.

The façades respond to their orientations with nuanced architectural treatments.

• South Façade: Shielded by a perforated Burgundy limestone screen, the gallery gains a depth of texture and shadow. This stone claustra filters light, provides shading, and conceals technical walkways, creating a facade that is at once functional and poetic. Its materiality resonates with the limestone of the historic campus, reinforcing continuity while asserting a new identity.

• North Façade: Designed to maximize natural light, this elevation features generous openings that frame views of the courtyard garden. Finished in lime plaster, the surface mirrors the treatment of neighboring buildings, while the precise geometry enhances a dialogue with the surrounding greenery. The effect is a calm and luminous environment, encouraging both study and contemplation.

The structural clarity of the gallery—supported by a single central column—frees up circulation and maintains transparency through the ground-level garden. This gesture not only improves movement but also repositions the once-secondary garden into a central, welcoming component of campus life.

Landscape and Microclimate

The landscape design is integral to the project’s architectural strategy. The courtyard garden was reshaped to support efficient rainwater absorption and act as a microclimatic regulator, providing cooling during the summer months. This ecological approach enriches the mineral-heavy context of the campus with a vital green lung.

Its new visibility from the gallery transforms what was historically a rear access into a primary gateway, reinforcing the garden’s role as both ecological infrastructure and a social commons. This interplay between built form and landscape underpins the project’s ambition to redefine campus identity as open, inviting, and sustainable.

Sustainability and Comfort

Rather than relying on complex technological systems, the renovation adopts low-tech, efficient energy strategies. The new envelope of the gallery offers thermal and humidity regulation, reducing the need for mechanical systems. Meanwhile, the refurbished existing buildings were upgraded for better energy performance, ensuring long-term sustainability.

Natural light and passive cooling dominate the environmental strategy, reducing energy consumption while enhancing comfort. Careful material selection—such as limestone, lime plaster, and durable low-maintenance finishes—emphasizes longevity and ecological responsibility. This focus on simplicity and efficiency aligns with the broader educational mission of the campus: cultivating spaces that promote well-being, sustainability, and intellectual life without excessive resource consumption.

A New Chapter for the Campus

The refurbishment and modernization of the European University Center is more than a technical exercise in preservation and expansion. It is an architectural statement about the future of higher education environments, where heritage, sustainability, and social exchange converge. By creating a new central gallery, redefining the courtyard as a shared resource, and enhancing the performance of historic buildings, Agence Vulcano-Gibello has delivered a project that both honors tradition and embraces innovation.

In its restrained elegance, contextual sensitivity, and sustainable ethos, the intervention transforms the Carnot-Ravinelle Campus into a 21st-century academic hub, reaffirming Nancy’s legacy as a place of intellectual ambition while providing new opportunities for collaboration, reflection, and growth.

Photography: Charly Broyez