Official opening of the new Collège Charles III

©Direction de la Communication - Manuel Vitali

The new Collège Charles III was inaugurated on Thursday 12 September by T.S.H. Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène of Monaco in the presence of H.E. Mr Didier Guillaume, Minister of State of the Principality; H.E. Mr Jean d’Haussonville, Ambassador of France to Monaco, Thomas Brezzo, President of the National Council, Christophe Steiner, Director of the Prince’s Cabinet; Céline Caron-Dagioni, Minister of Public Works, the Environment and Urban Development; Lionel Beffre, Minister of the Interior, and several officials from the Principality.

After inaugurating the new building in the presence of secondary school pupils and unveiling a special commemorative plaque, T.S.H. the Sovereign Prince and Princess Charlène went to the establishment’s outer courtyard where they met the project teams from the Department of Public Works and architects François Lallemand and Christian Curau, who worked on the project for several years.

The inaugural visit continued with a visit to the self-service canteen, which offers balanced seasonal meals made with local ingredients, and to the excellent infrastructure to which the students and teaching staff will have access: a pool, gymnasium, amphitheatre and classrooms equipped with interactive whiteboards and IT rooms with state-of-the-art equipment.

After a visit to the chapel and chaplaincy, Monseigneur David, Archbishop of Monaco, blessed the Collège Charles III from the upper courtyard of the school, which offers a 360° view of the Principality. 

H.E. Mr. Didier Guillaume praised the work of the teams in delivering this high-level infrastructure, which will enable schoolchildren in the Principality to learn in the best conditions: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, he recalled, quoting Nelson Mandela. 

Céline Caron-Dagioni presented the Building Information Model (BIM) of the collège, designed by the Department of Public Works, to journalists. A holographic display allowed participants to take an in-depth and interactive stroll through this innovative 3D model, the primary purpose of which is safety: every fire detection alarm in the school is connected in real time to the system. In the event of a problem, the fire department receives notification on a tablet and can view the standpipe system and prepare their intervention accordingly even before entering the building.

Construction of Collège Charles III began in 2016 and meets high environmental standards (HQE). The building, which has a 13-tonne metal frame connected by 40,000 assembly bolts, is home to 102 general, technical and arts classes and is bordered by green spaces.

©Direction de la Communication - Manuel Vitali