The Panthéon-Assas University, also known as Paris 2, in the heart of the Latin Quarter, houses Paris's most prestigious faculty of law, steeped in over 700 years of history.
The Centre Assas was built in 1959 by Charles Lemaresquier, and a competition was announced in 1990 for the remodelling of the site in order to bring it into line with regulations governing fire safety and access to emergency exits. In view of increasing student numbers, furthermore, the university authorities also decided to extend the site's library.
The architect Alain Sarfati submitted the winning project for the remodelling of the prestigious university, and the work was completed in 2011.
Upgrading the fire-resistance of the building's metal structure and increasing the number of fire exits represent relatively minor details within the framework of Sarfati's plans, because the new library plays a key role in the vision that has transformed the site of the old university into a fully fledged urban campus.
Study and everyday activities will all revolve around an enormous new library, housed in a monumental hall with high ceilings of interwoven vaults, on which the architect has reproduced a sky-like space animated by "clouds", which appear to be in continuous movement, thanks to skilfully designed plays of light.
