The initial approach defines a volume aligned to the street that closes on itself and seeks to free up the largest patio space; diversifying the response to each of the streets where it faces. The construction of a 4-meter-high plinth (PB) that includes the common program and the school porches, also serves as a base from which the rest of the functional program that occupies the upper floors with the classrooms emerges. However, this plinth additionally contributes to integrating the two neighboring listed properties, also the object of this project, into the volume itself.
The volume and distribution of the program of the proposed facility has been done above all taking into account the size of the plot (approximately 1800m²) and its geometric and environmental conditions. Its reduced dimensions have led us to treat the ground floor as a continuous exterior/interior space surrounded by porches, where the patio takes over everything around it, even the roof spaces.
The interior spaces located on the ground floor – gym, library, dining room, have the possibility of being used beyond their program and school hours. Direct access from the outside or from the courtyard allows spaces such as the gym or dining room to be used as extracurricular equipment, assembly hall or meeting. In order to integrate the functional program of the school into the two neighboring buildings, taking into account their constructive and structural characteristics, it has been chosen to locate the school’s AMPA and the library on the ground floor. Two pieces that, due to their characteristics and operation, can remain open outside school hours, bringing life and activity to the equipment and its immediate surroundings.
