Lycée Camille Sée (Paris)

The Lycée Camille Sée stands on ground that once held the Vaugirard gasworks. When the school was inaugurated in nineteen thirty-five, it was hailed as the most modern educational facility in all of France. The architect, François Le Cœur, designed the structure to overcome a difficult, cramped site by burying three full levels underground and reaching five stories high. To ensure stability on the sandy, clay-heavy soil, he oversaw extensive foundation work before constructing the monument out of reinforced concrete and crushed pink granite.