丨秘鲁利马丨Shell Arquitectos

Architects:Shell Arquitectos

Area:2580m²

Year:2024

Photographs:Renzo Rebagliati

Category:Elementary & Middle School

Architects In Charge:Alejandro Shell, Anna Barron, Carlos Vargas

Construction:GALEON Constructora

Landscaping:Camila de la Puente

Interior Design:Cinthya Arana

Safety And Evacuation:PYR Arquitectos Consultores

Structures:César Burga

Mechanical Sanitary And Electrical Consultants:AT Consultores

City:La Molina

Country:Peru

Text description provided by the architects. The project responds to the commission to create a new Early Learning School (ELS), an independent building that maintains a connection with the other blocks and sports areas, being part of a master plan for the expansion of Altair School.

The oval-shaped, two-level building houses 14 new classrooms, workshops, and administrative spaces, all surrounded by green and recreational areas that invite children to explore and connect with nature. The design blurs the boundaries through transparent and perforated divisions, made possible by a reinforced concrete structure that frees the floor plan and frames the levels, emphasizing the connection between the interior and exterior, and allowing vegetation to integrate into the classrooms.

An internal atmosphere is created from which there is a comprehensive view of all environments, centering around the main playground, featuring a sculptural ramp made of Shihuahuaco wood that connects both levels but also serves as an extension of the recreational area. The transition is realized through continuous corridors covered by exposed concrete overhangs that are 3 meters wide, protecting from the sun and also serving as possible extensions of the classrooms during rainy situations, enriching the children’s experience in response to varying weather conditions.

The central space flows through the circulation cores, with the main entrance to the ELS being a waiting area and a controlled transition without walls, where the pink staircase takes center stage, crowned by an oculus that welcomes you with the precise entry of light.

Half of the upper level becomes a balcony overlooking the inner courtyard of the ellipse and the back sports fields; a zone for outdoor learning, discovery, rest, and play, where children interact with and respect nature through its care, achieved through a landscape design that complements the school's teaching methodology.

Experiences unfold within and around a pure and simple volumetric form in its shapes and finishes, with lines designed to align each horizontal and vertical element that composes it, visible in the encounters between slab formwork and walls, railings, and screens. The cleanliness of the surfaces is intentional, with the aim that they will later be decorated by the user, according to what each space needs and produces. The oval building also allows the corner to be freed, creating a public plaza to welcome students and visitors, accompanied by a perforated fence with vegetation that echoes the interior transparency.

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