For many, schools and kindergartens represent the first contact with public architecture. They, together with every educational facility, serve as the foundation for learning and knowledge dissemination, playing an important role in shaping the formative years of children and young adults. In consequence, these buildings need to respond to the needs of different age groups, while creating functional and flexible spaces for learning, but also for play and unstructured interaction. Light and ventilation needs contribute to the complexity of these architectural programs. However, designing educational facilities presents opportunities for innovation and creative expression, as they are required to adapt continuously to the changing needs of students and faculty while creating a conductive environment for learning.
This week’s curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights designs submitted by the ArchDaily community dedicated to cultural institutions. From a learning center created to offer the girls in Mozambique an equal opportunity to learn, play and connect, to a naval station redesigned as a research center on the coast of Puerto Rico, this selection features projects created to encourage learning, curiosity, and the exchange of knowledge and expertise. The article includes designs from both established and emerging architectural practices, including Moore Ruble Yudell, C+S ARCHITECTS led by Carlo Cappai and Maria Alessandra Segantini, Hello Wood, and snkh studio.
Read on to discover 10 unbuilt educational facilities, from kindergartens to research centers and university campuses, along with descriptions provided by the architects.
Summer School and Camp in Révfülöp
Hello Wood’s resort concept for MCC - a talent management organization in Hungary - aimed to create a community place where talented youth can meet, learn and create. The principal element of the design is the covered circular porch that connects the buildings of the resort and gives space for different camp activities. The concept also focuses on environmentally friendly solutions and the use of traditional materials in a contemporary way.
A Chance
rhet architects
“The best thing you can give someone is a chance.” The Learning Centre focuses on giving the Mozambique girls various CHANCES by expanding the learning to a vaster meaning that connects both outdoors and indoors to provide chances to Play, Move, Create, Produce, Inspire, Learn, and Communicate. The proposal aims at designing a dynamic place, with a safe construction process using local materials, self-sufficiency in energy with cross ventilation, water collection, shading, and thermal control, and modular furniture design for flexibility.
ARADA
Biel Sanchez, Julio Picatoste
A central spine connects the town with the farming fields and, through its way in the equipment block, sews the different uses. The school extension and the kindergarten create a new façade to the street and provide clear access. Their wooden façade and structure blend with the proposed pergola that will become a new gathering, waiting, and connecting space.
Rodari Primary School in Conegliano
C+S ARCHITECTS, Carlo Cappai, Maria Alessandra Segantini
The children of Conegliano will soon have a new primary school, surrounded by greenery and at the forefront of energy sustainability and spatial and educational innovation. Located in the northern part of a plot currently occupied by a parking lot, which overlooks Via Padova, the new school (10 classrooms for 250 students), with a circular plan, develops on one level. The ten classrooms are arranged along the perimeter of the building in close visual and physical continuity with the garden, articulating the envelope of the school in a jagged and dematerialized profile below a generous projecting roof, which defines a large perimeter portico. In this way, each classroom has direct access to the garden and covered space in front, which can also be used for outdoor activities.
El Corral; Marine, Business, Research, and Innovation Center
KOSY and Adorno Arquitectos
KOSY Collective and Adorno Arquitectos have unveiled their proposal for the Marine, Business, Research, and Innovation Center competition in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. The project proposes to transform the decayed Naval Station with a project that celebrates the community through a publicly accessible central courtyard that is shielded from the harsh sun and wind. The modular design and prefabrication system enables faster construction with minimal environmental impact and has been designed to boost the local economy.
UCR School of Business
The team was selected for the 63,000-square-foot building via a design competition, and the project's construction will be completed by the Fall semester of 2024. According to comments from Yuzeng Wang, the Dean of the Business School: “This is the cornerstone in our plan to grow the UCR School of Business through new faculty, increased enrollment, and additional staff, and increase our engagement with the community through building a central hub for connection between business leaders, our research faculty, and our students.”
JUBILLE, University of Economics
Atelier ENTROPIC + Studio4SPACE
Entropic, in collaboration with the local architecture studio, Studio4Space has released the design for the new Jubilee building for the University of Economics, in Krakow, Poland The proposal was selected as one of the finalists for the prestigious architecture competition organized by SARP against 17 other teams. As the world is liberating the conventional static office space, into spaces that are refocused on inter-collaboration, creativity, and social interaction, so must our educational spaces follow.
COAF Smart Campus Armavir
We envisioned the new COAF Smart Center not as a lone-standing building but rather as a system of independent modules, each containing a certain function and type of activity. Instead of designing a building, we proposed a mini campus. It is organized around a public space that represents a small oasis in the middle of the desert landscape.
VietSing Kindergarten and Elementary School
The concept of "courtyard on the field" in this project is purposefully built in the center of the internal area, to optimize the entire landscape area according to vertical layers. In this main concept, we lead to the development of a "multi-level traffic" system - erasing the entire limitation of separating architectural spaces by floor. They are free to explore their “home” in their own way.
Heka City
Chain10 Architecture & Interior Design Institute
The project is located at New Ciaotou. Once Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing starts operations in Kaohsiung, this will bring an influx of people in a short amount of time. Talent in the technology industry is particularly valued in the field of children’s education. On the basis of enlightening education, more connections with the natural environment should be established. The property has a good set of conditions with diverse biology, which is a good choice and setting for a kindergarten.
HOW TO SUBMIT AN UNBUILT PROJECT
We highly appreciate the input from our readers and are always happy to see more projects designed by them. If you have an Unbuilt project to submit, click here and follow the guidelines. Our curators will review your submission and get back to you in case it is selected for a feature.
