Elementary school Fran Krsto Frankopan / Randić & Turato

Oct 2009

Uploaded by David Basulto — Filed under: Educational ,Selected , Concrete, Croatia, Randic Turato

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Architects: Randić & Turato / Saša Randić and Idis Turato
Location: City of Krk, Island Krk, HR, Croatia
Project team: Leora Dražul, Marko Derenčinović, Zvonimir Sabljak (site supervision)
Contractor: G.P., Krk
Client: City of Krk
Site area: 5,575 sqm
Total built surface: 4,300 sqm
Design year: 2003
Construction date: 2005
Photographs: Robert Leš

Elementary school “Fran Krsto Frankopan” in the city of Krk is situated on north-east corner of the medieval town.

Decision to locate the school within the medieval city was intensly discussed within the community and the city council. The central issue of the discussion was of course the dilema where to locate the building: within the city center, on the site of the existing school where everyone was used to have the school, or in the outskirts, where the school would have a larger area and better accessibility, but it lacked the specific character of the existing location. Finally, the decision to position the school was followed with an invited competition, where the whole community has participated in the choice of the project. This project is a winning entry from this competition.

Scale of the intervention in proportion to the size of the town made it an urban project.

First important element was the relation to the city wall. The idea of replacing the existing school with the new one was in part generated by the Monument Protection Department, that wanted to change the existing skyline of the city dominated by the late 19th century school building. At the same, construction of the new school has enabled archeological research and reconstruction of the city wall.

This context meant that the new building had to be recessed as much as possible from the fortification and respect the skyline where the fortification and the churches were the most important elements.

ground floor plan

The building is follows the property limits and the terrain topography, resulting in a broken Z-shape. The facade has no architectural elements. It is defined with the shadow of cantelivered pre-fabricated concrete elements, creating a frame around the first floor. Classrooms are facing the city wall and the space in-between: the younger ones are on the ground floor having the court in front of the classrooms, and the older ones have the view over the wall on the first floor.

The second issue concerning the positioning of the school was its relation with the urban matrix. Size of the contemporary school in proportion to the size of the medieval city had the imminent danger that the school would be too big to fit in. For that reason the school was conceived as a part of the city, erasing the borders between the public space and school areas, making school a part of the city. Street and square are transformed in the school territory: with gym on the other side, the school opens to the street with the main entrance and its public elements: multipurpose hall and restaurant, engaging reciprocal relationship between the street and the school. Public territory is used as a school territory at the same time. Path along the fortification, to the east of the school, is also open to the public leading from the school garden on the north to the nursery on the south.

Street façade, unlike the one facing the wall, is defined with the characteristic contextual elements: flat profilation and coloured plaster, with internal colours exiting on the façade and different granulation of the plaster defining the proportion of this façade.

The roof of the building is covered with chunks of the local stone that are in the same size as in divisory walls on the island. The same stone was evidently used for the fortification and is also used in the prefabricated elements on the school, either casted in the retaining walls or as a granulate in the façade elements, giving the concrete the same colour of the stone.

Two beams of the Z-shape volume are connected in the entrance hall. Hall has double height, connecting the floors with the ramps and further to the corridors. Internal corridors, following the irregural sloap of the terrain, have been interpreted as an extension of the town streets, following the conception that the school is a part of the city.

: © Robert Leš

: © Robert Leš

: © Robert Leš

: © Robert Leš

: © Robert Leš

: © Robert Leš

: © Robert Leš

: © Robert Leš

: © Robert Leš

: © Robert Leš

: © Robert Leš

: © Robert Leš

: © Robert Leš

: © Robert Leš

: site plan

: basement floor plan

: ground floor plan

: first floor plan

: section 01

: section 02

About David Basulto: Graduate Architect. Co Founder and Executive Editor of ArchDaily.com. Architecture geek.

Cite:
Basulto , David . "Elementary school Fran Krsto Frankopan / Randić & Turato" 29 Oct 2009. ArchDaily. Accessed 10 Feb 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/39118>

Comments (15)
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Bo says:

Exteriors really good
I dont like interior-walls color

# October 30, 2009 at 03:30

Juni says:

Very nice building but now, as we can see on aerial view, it’s the biggest building of the city. That’s weird.

# October 30, 2009 at 05:16

- says:

On the contrary from the perspective of human you can not see that and it seems to be a building the same scale as old town. That makes sense.

# October 30, 2009 at 07:15

tom says:

like it, will not complain contest from fly, work like hill and has typical for town height

# October 30, 2009 at 09:02

Patricio says:

CONGRATULATIONS …….. TO CONSIDER THE OPINION OF THE CITIZENS ” GIVES THE CITY DOES TO ITSELF ” SPEECH OF GOOD ARCHITECTURE…. TO SPEAK ABOUT THE PATRIMONIAL RESPECT TO THE ROOTS AND GIVES LIKE THIS NEW ARCHITECTURE IS INSERTED… WITH ALL SINCE ONE WANTS TO PROJECT THE CITY TO THE FUTURE… ……….THE WHOLE EXAMPLE….

# October 30, 2009 at 07:24

Gordana says:

This project is absolutely stunning.

# October 30, 2009 at 07:41

three zed says:

I think the best thing about this school is how the kids complained – they love the school and think it’s absolutely perfect for running and skateboard rides, but their teachers won’t let them… :)
This object is beautiful, simple, shows great deal of respect for it’s surrounding and it makes it’s inhabitants happy. What more?

# October 30, 2009 at 08:13

Myungjin says:

interior and programming is really appreciative. but the exterior is spoiling the town

# October 30, 2009 at 08:30

David Basulto says:

Randic Turato is a practice to keep an eye on. Expect more from them in the following weeks, including an interview ;)

# October 30, 2009 at 12:46

Niccolò says:

It’s the only practice in Croatia worth keeping an eye on.

# October 30, 2009 at 14:43

andrea says:

totally agree with this, as i am from croatia. they are the best, and far ahead of the others!

# October 31, 2009 at 06:12

Richie says:

Another impressive building from Croatia. Good stuff.

# October 30, 2009 at 15:08

silvi says:

hello, i’m a student of university of architecture (florence)
i choose this school to analyse and i wont a have more informations… if it’s possible
please contact me if you can on my mail adress
and if you don’t mind to give me some more photos or more architectural plans, secions… ANYTHING

thank you for your disponibility!!
byebye

# December 6, 2009 at 18:14

cristina says: