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Architects: Albert Tidy Arquitectos
- Area: 3 m²
- Year: 2007
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Photographs:Marcelo Cáceres
Text description provided by the architects. San Sebastian School in Melipilla is a private institution with fiscal support founded in 1997, and consists of pre-school, primary and secondary.
Currently, its facilities do not represent the level of academic excellence that the institution holds according to indicators from the Ministry of Education. Adding to the precariousness of its infrastructure, there is the problem of the dispersion of venues, as the sports facilities, pre-school, primary, and secondary are physically separated.
The project for the new school facilities is located in an area of 7881 square meters in the east end of the city, which will unify all levels from pre-kinder to secondary school in a building of 3593.65 square meters distributed on two levels. The school will be located in an area consisting of two lots, which will be allocated to classrooms, library, cafeteria, workshops, administrative area, courtyards and parking lot.
The sports area and locker rooms will be located on the adjacent lot. The program complements the school’s needs, but is not subject to municipal approval.
The school is laid out on a regular corridor 7,17 meters wide that extends in a zigzag on the ground. All north and east orientations are protected by circulations at both heights, while the south and east views provide direct light to the classrooms.
The structure is based on reinforced concrete load-bearing walls and slabs, coated and painted. The north and west enclosure is based on a vertical steel lattice that protects the semi-exterior enclosures from direct sunlight. The views from the classrooms are framed by windows that display the central valley landscape. The apparent irregularity of the windows is achieved by alternating three different sizes of windows, that display a playful expression that identifies with the character of the school.
