The stepped section is resolved with reinforced concrete retaining walls. The upper floors are solved with a wooden structure. For the exterior finishes, metal sheets, wood and windows are interspersed. Inside you can see the exposed structure and it is covered with wood. The roof appears flat but has a slope filled with a metal tray.
Escola Bressol La Teixonera by Forgas Arquitectes. Photograph by Simon Garcia.
Project description by Forgas Arquitectes
A neighbourhood of narrow streets with a steep slope facing north. A small plot with a single façade accessible from Arenys Street and a side façade to the stairs of Can Besora. In the background, an interior block pending transformation into a community garden which the nursery school can face.
The building is located parallel to the street in the northern building boundary and frees up a strip of courtyard parallel to the street to allow the south orientation of the classrooms. The program is developed in three levels with a stepped section in the longitudinal direction that takes advantage of the specific conditions of the terrain.
Two small squares, one at each end of the plot, allow a widening of the street and its connection with the two main levels of the building, which only protrudes one level above the street level to offer a friendly and low-rise construction, avoiding an excessive impact on neighboring homes.
Escola Bressol La Teixonera by Forgas Arquitectes. Photograph by Simon Garcia.
The two main levels house the Nursery School programme itself and the family space and facilities are arranged below ground floor level, taking advantage of the gap generated where the transversal difference in level is strongest. This level connects with the intermediate landing of the stairs of Can Besora and allows independent access from the future community garden.
At the level of the main entrance, in contact with the first interior square, we find the lobby, the stroller space, the management of the center and 4 classrooms for the little ones in contact with the garden. The classrooms have a canopy to the south that acts as a porch and protects the glazing from direct sun in summer. On the upper floor there are 4 more classrooms with a large south-facing terrace with a pergola and horizontal tents for solar control. On this level we also find the teachers' room, dining room, kitchen, laundry and services with access to level from the second square.
On both levels, the multipurpose space in the form of a gallery for playtime activities give access to the classrooms and the glazed enclosures between the classroom, the gallery and the outdoor spaces allow the three environments to be integrated.
Escola Bressol La Teixonera by Forgas Arquitectes. Photograph by Simon Garcia.
The proposal to adapt the building to the ground with a stepped section reduces the volume of excavation and resolves the containment of the terrain and the ground floor slab with conventional reinforced concrete solutions. The two upper levels are resolved with a modular and prefabricated wooden structure, to industrialize the construction process and reduce its environmental impact.
Envelope formed by dry solutions alternating walls finished with sheet or wood that links with the materiality of the exterior carpentry. Sloping roof finished with continuous metal trays with raised joint and hidden fasteners.
Safe and comfortable interior finishes, efficient and sustainable facilities that go beyond regulatory requirements by incorporating an important photovoltaic installation.
Construction economy, centralized control, ease of management and maintenance. Quite a challenge.
