r studio: pio baroja nursery

‘pio baroja nursery’ by r studio, valencia, spain all images © r studio

architecture and design firm r studio has designed ‘pio baroja nursery’ a local school in valencia, spain. this one story building is located in the third largest city in the country. having the site at street level meant it was influenced by the near-by high speed traffic and the surrounding skyscrapers. the creation of an inner courtyard brings intimacy and a sense of security to the space. the circular motif throughout the structure emphasizes the sense of play and movement around the school environment.

the concrete walls extend from the inside to the outside forming a winding path along the perimeter of the grounds. a glass facade allows for uninterrupted views of the yard while the vertical exterior steel fence provides glimpses into the colorful interior space. high gloss acrylic panels are contrasted by the gray partitions to create visual mapping within the establishment. while simple in its construction technique, the double circulation of interior and exterior spaces allows for the cross ventilation between classrooms, taking advantage of the local climate.

exterior cement structure

(left) detail of circular wall (right) window facade with view of extruding wall

interior wall motif

interior classroom

entrance to classroom

interior corridor

exterior steel facade

exterior steel facade at dusk

interior courtyard at dusk

rendering of concept

plan

exterior elevation

interior section

interior cross section

exterior cross section

project info:

year: 2010 project lead: r studio developer: ayuntamiento de valencia serivico de educación builder: levantian ingenieria y construción s.l. architect: dolors aparici engineering project: adypau architecture management: asurinsa engineering management: rodrigalvárez