São Bernardo Elementary School, Aveiro Building Project, New Portuguese Architecture, Portugal, Images
São Bernardo Elementary School in Aveiro
14 Jul 2021
Architects: ARTE TECTóNiCA
Location: Aveiro, Portugal

São Bernardo Elementary School
The aim was to create a new project to replace 8 basic educational classrooms at São Bernardo School, in Aveiro, Portugal.

For about a decade, the school was housed in a prefabricated pavilion, now reused as a covered playground.

Located between the cafeteria and the gym, the available terrain was a longitudinally East/West rectangular shape.

The concept was a two volume/two floors building, with an independent entrance and roof covering, as Aveiro is one of the highest rainfall districts in Portugal. In addition to the 8 classrooms, the program also included a teachers’ lounge and a gym.
Juxtaposing ?serviced spaces? with ?servant spaces? (Op. Cit. Louis Kahn), the proposed concept was to consecrate the North exposure to the classrooms, and to distribute the ?servant? spaces along the central corridor, big enough to have individualized student lockers.

This horizontal circulation longitudinal space is reproduced both in ground and first floor, with connection through a wide staircase, beginning in the two-story high, entrance hall.

The plan is approximately rectangular, “centre parting”, with classroom façade cutouts strictly exposed to geographic North, to receive the ?perfect light?, without dir...