IT'S Studio Transforms Abandoned Nanterre Architecture School into Campus du Parc for 4,500 Students

Originally established in 1971 by Jacques Kalisz and Roger Salem, the former Nanterre School of Architecture has transformed into Campus du Parc, an 18,000 m² university facility expected to be finished in 2026. Curated by Nina Vuga and executed by IT'S Studio, Eiffage Immobilier spearheaded the development, with De Vinci Higher Education as the end user, currently accommodating 4,500 students in engineering, business, and digital fields. Abandoned since 2004, this building is part of a broader social redevelopment initiative and is located within André-Malraux Park, which also features the Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers and the Paris Opera Ballet School. The Campus du Parc initiative emerged from the 2018 Inventons la Métropole du Grand Paris 2 competition, with design led by Valentina Esposito and Bettina Reali, landscape architecture by Base, and acoustic engineering by Lasa. Photographs were contributed by Sidney Zag, Francesca Iovene, and Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre. The project maintains the original structure's spatial integrity while modernizing it for educational purposes.