If you find yourself in the city of Leandro N. Alem, Misiones, and you want to visit a landmark work of Argentine architecture, anyone will be able to point you to the location of the renowned school designed by architects Mario Soto and Raúl Rivarola.
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The authors, who had already built other important works in the province - wooden schools in the towns of Puerto Rico, Aristóbulo del Valle, and Campo Viera, the inns of Montecarlo, Apóstoles, and San Javier, and the Tourism Hotel in Posadas - were commissioned by the provincial executive for the construction of the educational building. Under the presidency of Juan Domingo Perón in 1953, the territory of Misiones presented a plan for public works to develop the necessary infrastructure for the new province, with the objective of strengthening institutional power.
The school was built between 1957 and 1963 in a municipality with few inhabitants where it catalyzed the upcoming development of the city. The project had a large budget, which speaks to the modernizing effort invested in the province.
The climate of the Argentine littoral is subtropical, with Misiones being one of the provinces with the highest rainfall in the country and very hot. This may have been a determining factor in the design of the large roof, which emerges as a characteristic feature of the work and gives rise to the rest of the functional package accordingly. The shape of the roof, which was initially planned to be made of wood and metal sheets, could be executed in concrete due to the increase in the initial budget. This functions as a large tank that allows the capture of rainwater, storing it, and then letting the excess water flow down through sculptural gargoyles. On the other hand, the water accumulated on the building helps to cool it, achieving a much more comfortable educational space.
Under the shade of the large roof, activities are distributed autonomously, as the independent concrete structure enables a much more flexible interior. Three areas can be distinguished: the common classrooms facing south, the administrative sector and support classrooms, and finally the covered inner courtyard where circulation and student gatherings take place. The covered courtyard takes on the role of a central space as seen in other works of the time, such as the Manuel Belgrano School in Córdoba, a work subsequent to the school, where classrooms cease to be the primary space, and the courtyard emerges as the main hall.
The circulations are arranged towards the large inner courtyard in the form of bleachers. The program consisted of 12 classrooms, 2 laboratories, a classroom for crafts and home economics, a library, a music room, an administrative area, bathrooms, and changing rooms.
The facade of the school is characterized by its concrete sunshades, which act as a filter, regulating the entry of sunlight. This is another strategy to achieve climatic efficiency in the building, promoting air circulation beneath the large roof, thereby reducing the interior temperature by twelve degrees Celsius compared to the exterior.
Internally, the character of the music room stands out, consisting of a reinforced concrete structure and a hyperbolic paraboloid formed by tensioned wires, expanded metal, and sprayed concrete. Continuing with the logic of open plan and the search for flexibility of uses, the enclosure of this room is demountable so that it can be used as a stage.
The presence of the school continues to stand out in the city and nationally for architecture enthusiasts, demonstrating the power of its timeless and evocative image, particularly its spatial qualities.
More important than the imposing morphological character of the building is having achieved that result by responding to local climatic conditions with a design of great aesthetic qualities. Currently declared a National Historic Monument, the Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Normal School continues to be a work that represented the Provincial Government's willingness, which from 1956 sought to provide a modernizing impetus to its institutions, culminating in buildings of remarkable quality.
Bibliography
-Gayetzky de Kuna, Graciela C. La arquitectura del Movimiento Moderno en Misiones: caso, La Escuela Normal de Alem (1957-1963) de Mario Soto y Raúl Rivarola [The architecture of the Modern Movement in Misiones: case, The Normal School of Alem (1957-1963) by Mario Soto and Raúl Rivarola].
-Fiorito Marian I. La escuela de enseñanza media como artefacto de modernidad (1958-1963) [The middle school as an artifact of modernity]. III Conference on Modern Argentine Architecture. Modernity in Argentina, Identity and Heritage. National University of Mar del Plata. Faculty of Architecture, Urbanism and Design. Mar del Plata.
-Summa Magazine. Escuela Normal N°1, Leando N. Alem, Pcia. De Misiones. Summa Editions. February 1981.
.jpg?1551190295 "Architecture Classics: Normal Superior School N°1 Domingo Faustino Sarmiento / Mario Soto and Raúl Rivarola")
