Harlequin Flexity at the Paris-Saclay Conservatoire

The CRD Paris-Saclay Conservatoire in Orsay, France is home to the disciplines of dance, music and theatre in its 2,800m² intermunicipal building with specialist facilities.

Formerly the Conservatoire de la vallée de Chevreuse, the new conservatoire opened in 2018. The CRD provides a specialist curriculum and training in music, dance and theatre.

Designed by Paris-based architects Atelier Novembre, the construction was completed on a preserved natural site, in between a botanical park, a residential area in the Paris suburb of Orsay in the Île-de-France region and the Paris-Sud University campus.

More than a thousand students are enrolled and the state-of-the-art building houses dance and rehearsal studios, music and acoustic rooms, theatre performance halls including the 300-seat Jean-Claude Risset auditorium and an 80-seat performance space.

Harlequin Floors Europe supplied and installed more than 800m² of Harlequin Flexity sprung flooring to create four spectacular dance studios and two theatre performance spaces.

Over 600m² of Harlequin vinyl surfaces were selected to top the sprung floor and a further 202m² were topped with a Harlequin hardwood oak parquet surface.

Harlequin’s highly skilled, expert, technical installation team completed the project in four weeks.

Gilles Métral, Director of the CRD Paris-Saclay, spoke to Harlequin Floors:

“A dance floor must give dance students and teachers confidence and reassure them both, as well as of course, comply with safety standards. From a purely financial point of view, it must age well over time, because it is a heavy investment. It must be sustainable and keep the same technical qualities for the next 20 to 30 years.

We were simply convinced by the arguments put forward by Harlequin and by the references presented to us, which of course we contacted. It was the right choice, because since the opening of the CRD we no longer have comments or requests from teachers, students and parents. There are no more injuries or musculoskeletal disorders.

In general, the investment in floors has been significant, but has been planned for the long term. We followed Harlequin’s recommendations to put the same dance floor, Harlequin Flexity in all the halls as well as in the large and small auditorium.

In three of the studios we practice classical, contemporary and modern jazz, therefore, we selected a Harlequin Studio vinyl surface.

In another room, we teach tap dancing and opted for a Harlequin Fiesta vinyl surface as well as for the small Bernstein auditorium. This room is mainly dedicated to music and orchestra rehearsals but also serves to receive parents. Basically, this room is used seven days a week, ten hours a day so we needed a resistant coating.

For the large Jean-Claude Risset auditorium which is used for music and other non-dance events, the Harlequin Flexity sprung floor is covered with an oak parquet hardwood surface. When there is dance, we simply roll out a Harlequin Duo vinyl portable dance floor.

Collaborating with Harlequin on this project has been awesome! From specification to delivery, we had a very good relationship. Harlequin ensured we selected the right finishing solutions to obtain the qualities expected on the auditorium scene. During the works, even if some moments were a little delicate because of the large number of people on site, the Harlequin technicians adapted well with good customer, supplier relationships. The after-sales service is also of high quality.

I would define Harlequin as THE specialist who listens, is efficient and effective.”