ABSTRACT
The design is a rectangular three-storey perimeter block with a recessed loggia to the west, playgrounds for the kindergarten on the south and a play ‘plaza’ for the main school pupils to the north. It provides a simple civic presence yet with the addition of a number of crucial architectural flourishes, such as a dramatic tapering staircase tower and a third floor library block clad in shimmering translucent glass, suspended above the street. These architectural moments add interest which can be savoured either from the inside or from the outside. Strong colours are used in geometric patterns as a reminder of the Mexican heritage of a large proportion of its pupil intake.
The advantages of the planning strategy are firstly that the school is hard up against the street giving very high densities. Its edges act as secure buttresses against an often hostile outside world. Paradoxically they also lend an immediacy to the street edge, which is welcoming to outsiders, yet in a controlled way. The treatment of entrances and thresholds encourages parents and other interested community members to come into the building and use the community room, and at certain times outside of school hours, the cafeteria and gymnasium. Perhaps more importantly, it is an extremely economical layout both in environmental terms and in building costs per 178square metre. The minimal external envelope makes good environmental sense in this region which experiences considerable extremes of temperature. Science classroom with translucent walls providing even natural light set out in the form of a graph-paper grid. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780080499291/f70b01ec-99da-4e86-a882-bbb9f643b2de/content/figcs10_6_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> (Steve Hall © Hedrich Blessing.) A solid redbrick block enlivened by projecting bays, a sundial staircase and the rooftop library volume all help to articulate the internal hierarchy to the outside world. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780080499291/f70b01ec-99da-4e86-a882-bbb9f643b2de/content/figcs10_7a_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> (Steve Hall © Hedrich Blessing.) The library interior benefits from generous all-round clerestory lighting and light, neutral colours. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780080499291/f70b01ec-99da-4e86-a882-bbb9f643b2de/content/figcs10_7b_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> (Steve Hall © Hedrich Blessing.) A projecting canopy helps to define the street-level courtyard which is further delineated by rough ashlar blocks with the back of the staircase coloured a vibrant yellow. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780080499291/f70b01ec-99da-4e86-a882-bbb9f643b2de/content/figcs10_8_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> (Steve Hall © Hedrich Blessing.) All materials are cheap and durable yet each is carefully considered within the composition of the interior architecture: the cafeteria features diagonal pendant windows and circular structural columns clad in shiny spiralling zinc. Restrained decorative strips within the floor lino make a strong contrast to the gridded ceiling. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780080499291/f70b01ec-99da-4e86-a882-bbb9f643b2de/content/figcs10_9_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> (Steve Hall © Hedrich Blessing.)
One of the drawbacks, however, is the large areas of internal circulation which only have restricted areas of natural daylight seeping in from the rear of the gymnasium. The architects have used a number of devices to lessen the effect; these range from varying ceiling heights and accentuated lighting fixtures which mark out circulation intersections, to the use of sophisticated colours and textural transformations which aid the legibility of the internal planning. Everywhere the evidence of thoughtful pragmatic design decisions create a building of immense value both to the client and its community of users.
We feel the Academy … brings the community together in many ways. The design is unique and delightful to look at. The colour scheme is bright and warm, very similar to traditional colours used in Latin America. As the director of the Little Boys & Girls Club, I pass the Academy every day. The parents gravitate around the building at certain hours of the day. I have noticed how relaxed and at ease the parents seem to be. There is a court in the school grounds where the parents wait and this place is a perfect place for neighbours and family to meet and talk.
Robert Cepeda