The façade is a playful composition of standard concrete blocks layed out as a textile fabric that wraps around the new extension.
The project aims to reduce its ecological footprint by minimizing the embodied energy of materials. Available everyday materials locate the building in a much larger context than just the physical; the economic and the cultural. The implementation of concrete block as "default" construction system in Mallorca has lead to a thriving industry of small manufacturers that use local aggregates. The project explores the visual capabilities of banal elements used in everyday architecture. A playful composition of standard concrete blocks layed out as a textile fabric that wraps around the new extension. The new extension of the Josep Sureda i Blanes High school is situated directly after the volume of the existing school, without moving away from it. In order to minimize costs, shared access with the existing school such as stairs and lifts was proposed. The 9 m span structure is solved with prefabricated slabs creating a free column space for future extensions.
Location: Palma de Mallorca
Client: Public
Size: 698 m2
Year: 2010
Photo: Jose Hevia