Schools

The commission comes after the horrible vehicle rampage attacks in Nice. As a reflection of this safety concern, the Lycée Français de Barcelone commissioned a study of the reinforcement of the main accesses to the site. The work was carried out alongside security experts appointed by the French government. The result of the preliminary studies reflected the need to place a maximum security area right at the entrance of the school. Said area should contain: a safe space for the security guards (armoured); a passage lock (SAS) that allows the identification of access personnel; a controlled area for vehicle access (chicane circuit) and bollards to prevent vehicles from driving past. The aim of the project is to combine the need for security with the everyday life of a school campus with over 2,000 students, and withan architectural style of pavilions and gardens. It is the access to the school, the reception and welcome area, so it must be a cosy and friendly place. In this project, the impenetrable security space has been integrated into an open environment without becoming a hard physical and visual barrier. Both the new buildings and the adjacent urbanized areas dialogue with each other in a language of wood, stone and vegetation, and are organically integrated into the existing environment.

For SPO Utrecht, we have designed an energy-neutral primary school for special education at the Winklerlaan in Utrecht. In the green space in which the school located, we have placed two volumes, robust in materialization, soft in shape, and light in color. The two programmatic volumes (education and gym) can be distinguished by their materialisation but are linked by the entrance and the playroom. The masonry of the façade is divided into rims, the middle of which works at the entrance as a canopy and thus forms the connection between the two volumes. The rounded corners soften the building and connect the various outdoor spaces in a smooth manner.

When the municipality of Vřesovice agreed with the Church on transferring the rectory and the parish estate to the municipal property, the Church wished that the village should not let the whole premises deteriorate but use it for a purpose. Therefore, since 2013 the main building of the rectory has been a primary school and two years later, a daycare center with a kitchen and a dining room, which are also used by the primary school, was established on the ground floor of the two building wings. Our task was to reconstruct another part of the buildings into two classrooms and two vocational ones.

The main challenge was to capture through architecture the concept of Waldorf education in a tangible way, taking into account the guidelines of its founders and pedagogical team.

Originally designed by O’Neil Ford in the late 1960’s, The Lamplighter School enjoys a rich architectural heritage. Ford worked hand-in-hand with the school’s founders to realize their vision for a unique learning environment. The campus boasts a design highlighted by open learning spaces, a close relationship with nature, and a “village” composition developed from the original O’Neil Ford plan. The architecture beautifully reflects the school’s teaching and learning styles. Frank Welch designed additions to the school in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

Project Brief
Ningbo Hanvos School is located in Zhenhai District, Ningbo. According to the general requirements of “internationalization, high quality and characteristic”, it is built as a new international boarding school with typical characteristic of internationalized education. The construction area is around 54000 ㎡, which covers all learning stages from primary school to high school. Due to the uncertain enrollment, this project adopts strategy of overall planning and phased implementation: the school is designed to accommodate 1200 students. The first phase is designed to hold 600 students with a construction area about 37000㎡; In terms of education architecture, the first phase contains international school teaching building, complex building, administrative office, school restaurant, international student dormitory and stadium, etc. The second phase includes gymnasium, international education center and additional dormitories.

The project is organised around a new “program”, following the idea of a Cloister, which emphases central space, unifying the school. With its in mind the idea is to redesign the buildings such that it works together, while simultaneously creating a strong connection between the spaces inside and outside. Additionally, in the exterior spaces creating a series of new architectural elements that that can be multipurpose serving as courtyard (open and closed), covered spaces, galleries that can be open or closed, terraces and other shades spaces.

The Chipakata Children’s Academy is a new primary school in Zambia, Africa. It is the first initiative of the 14+ Foundation, a New York City-based non-profit organization established in 2012. The design for the new school has realized the Foundation’s mission to develop, build and operate schools and orphanages in rural African communities. The site in Chipakata Village is approximately 100 kilometers east of Lusaka, Zambia’s largest city.