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Architects: Diaz Romero Arquitectos
- Area: 3320 m²
- Year: 2020
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Lead Architects: Consuelo Diaz Romero, Juan Tomás Diaz Romero
Text description provided by the architects. This School is a project governed by strict regulation, conventional classroom distribution and extremely limited financial resources. It is situated in a new neighborhood of the city, still nondescript in character; allowing us to free ourselves from existing styles.
With these strict starting guidelines, we planned a building that stands out for the formal expressiveness of the façade and confident use of shape and the colour contrast, between the red textured concrete wall and the smooth white façade of acrylic mortar.
The building with abstract and precise geometry, generates poetic spaces in all its dimensions with a contemporary formal language free of fashions. Contrasts stand out: red and white / smooth and rough, as well as textures, shadows and different window spaces.
We proposed a pure shape with strange and studied arrangements of different sized window spaces. We perforated the structure, triangulated the pergolas looking for the most attractive shades. We flared the window opening in the infant school to maximise light and we reduced the architecture to geometry, composition and colour.
Regarding the design we would emphasise: On the main façade, two large cantilevers levitate, marking the primary and children's entrances with large perforations that allow the entry of light and nature. The gymnasium acts as a link between infant and primary schools, with large perforations on the roof making fluid boundaries between uses. The large red concrete patio around which the classrooms are distributed.
We play with contrasts and look for monumental meaning and fragility at the same time. We pigment the solid concrete and we texturize it in opposition to the fragility of the smooth white facades. We flirt with full and empty spaces creating imposing light and elegant spaces.
The function of the building, strict in regulation, and plan imposed by the regional government, is extended with shapes used, and with the design brings a feeling of freedom and flexibility. The building becomes a major player in the educational project, inspiring from childhood and influencing the community, achieving educational spaces that positively affect the learning environment.
The uses merge. Primary and infant school merge visually, mixing the age groups; the gym with the corridors and the dining room and the patio, It is not clear what is classroom, what is interior, what is outside. The colours of the exterior appear again subtly in the interior and we promote the theme of education in the interior design through graphics.
The building is striking in the environment, becoming a milestone in the neighborhood. Strolling around the neighborhood is a pleasure to see. Some projects are created for a site, but here the project was led by the site itself.
