This year’s Salon d’Automne dedicates its Architecture section to projects by architect Paul Le Quernec. Both completed in 2022, these two projects reflect an instinctive, timeless approach designed to awaken our childlike spirit. He then built a nursery in Fleury-sur- Orne, Normandy, and went beyond our borders with his “Au Grand Air” school project, which saw the light of day in the city of Gurgaon, India. Located next to New Delhi, one of the world’s most polluted cities along with Bombay and Lahore, the project’s name is no coincidence. The photographs presented here bear witness to the fresh air breathed by the building, which stands completely apart from the urban dynamics already in place at the time. Somewhere between a wasteland and a residential area, the project forms a sort of protective bubble, dedicated to the development of its occupants. The building is equipped with an air filtration system, the quality of which
is transmitted in real time to screens inside the structure.
The building’s aesthetics also add a touch of freshness, with “pineapple skin” cladding and an explosion of primary and complementary colors that add dynamism to the façade, breaking away from the flatness of the surrounding tall buildings.
While the playfulness of the exterior reflects the building’s function, the interior is also endowed with this fantastic spirit, with its colorful walls sometimes pierced by aquariums.
By adapting perfectly to environmental and legal constraints, Le Quernec and his team are fulfilling their main objective: to combine the notions of education and fulfillment in their projects -and in everyone’s mind- so that they become one and the same.

To discover the artists in this section, visit the virtual exhibition