ELEMENTAL©

Project

Location:
La Pintana, Santiago (Chile)

Areas:
Land: 7.998m²
Built: 2.696m²

Client:
I. Municipalidad de La Pintana

Engineering:
José Gajardo

Traffic impact:
Elemental

Sanitary installation:
Patricio Moya

Electrical installation:
RCV Ingeniería

In november of 2006, the Municipality of Pintana commisioned ELEMENTAL with projects for the adjustments to the Jornada Escolar Completa (JEC) for two secondary schools: “Aurelia Rojas Burgos” (ARB) and “Pablo de Rokha” (PdR). Both to be completed with financing from MINEDUC and FNDR.

The challenge posed by the Municipality consisted in resolving the urgent need for the JEC to protect the socially vulnerable position of school age children.  The possibility of having the children inside the establishment for the majority of the day is a central strategy that the municipality is implementing to combat the recurring social impact of drugs and delinquency on children.

On the other hand, for this type of installation and the spaces that accommodate them, any of these establishments represent a potential core of equipment and services for the community, able to create a certain value to the surrounding environment. For this opportunity to materialize, the challenge will be to combine an opening the community with security, given the series of problem with delinquency in this area.

RESTRICTIONS

1. The PdR is located with other important communal establishments (plaza, chapel, and sports gym). The main entrance is preceded by a relatively large green space, which in the context of the homogenous urban fabric of the periphery, represents an opportunity to generate a public space as a “hinge” to the community.  However, the low height and dull closed off nature of the halls shrouds the school’s presence from notice, making it practically invisible, taking away from its location.

2. Still, though it’s a good location it is quite exposed to a either a public space or an empty site generating a high index of consequential thefts, obliging them to enclose everything in bars, making the environment feel prison-like.

3. Today, the PdR has approximately 440 students in the elementary school and around 350 adult students completing their basic studies as well as technical classes.  To accommodate this demand, 15 rooms have a double function serving children during the day and adults at night. However, the poor state of the construction has resulted in a drastic drop in registration the last few semesters, as neighbors opt for other educational establishments farther away. The prefabricated pavilions of the first floor that make up the school create some patios en relatively good condition.  However, the floors, walls and ceilings are all found to be beyond repair, demanding a complete renovation.  A remodel and additions are necessary in order to make full use of the school day and realize the important role of education in the community.

THE PROJECT

The Project began with a presentation on the part of the city of the pre-project to which la Seremi de Educación (SECREDUC) has supplied some funds.  The first restriction for the next step consisted of maintaining the main idea and type of interventions defined by the original antecedent.  With the exception of this obligation, the rest of the project was completely reformulated.

1. The Project proposed the principal growth to occur on the second level, to interfere as little as possible with the patios and existing pavilions.  This concentrates the new spaces in one bar more than 100 meters in length and 8 in height, parallel to the existing green space. This endows the school with a new presence within the neighborhood and helps to define the urban space between the street and the entrance of the building.  In the center of this linear building, a hall was constructed which contains a stair and access to the second level.  This space can be converted into an open air amphitheater, operating like a gate.  This dual closing action creates a link from the second floor with the interior of the school during the day.  At night, this condition is inverted, concentrating the evening functions of the school only to the second floor of the new building allowing communal use without sacrificing the school’s security.

2. Along with the necessary repairs of the existing spaces, 4 rooms (that replace those demolished with the changes made) would be constructed between the pavilions on the ground generating a continual perimeter and covering to the exterior spaces, minimizing the dangerous gaps and consolidating the existing patios. Taking full advantage of the structure of the existing patios, reorganizing the rooms around two major spaces, marks the separation of the two basic cycles that coincide with the school’s axis of access.

3. Between the perimeter seal and the reconstructed pavilions is a constant distance that is transformed into a series of small patios for exclusive use to each classroom, converting residual space to educational exterior spaces.  At the same time, this replaces the vertical bar protection of the windows for a covering (lattice) over these patios, allowing the windows to function properly and improving ventilation and interior illumination.

Project

Location:
La Pintana, Santiago (Chile)

Areas:
Land: 7.998m²
Built: 2.696m²

Client:
I. Municipalidad de La Pintana

Engineering:
José Gajardo

Traffic impact:
Elemental

Sanitary installation:
Patricio Moya

Electrical installation:
RCV Ingeniería

Project

Location:
La Pintana, Santiago (Chile)

Areas:
Land: 7.998m²
Built: 2.696m²

Client:
I. Municipalidad de La Pintana

Engineering:
José Gajardo

Traffic impact:
Elemental

Sanitary installation:
Patricio Moya

Electrical installation:
RCV Ingeniería