ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

The concept design deals with the rearrangement of the existing premises and the construction of a new extension on the site of the existing building in the northern part of the school, the arrangement of open areas, including access to the kitchen, the comprehensive functional placement of the spatial program, taking into account newest guidelines regarding energy efficiency and emphasizing the consideration of the surrounding natural conditions.

The proposed design solves the spatial problems of the school and creates a new, representative entrance with a large hall and a useful multi-purpose green atrium. With the existing arrangement of the school, we have established a functional and well-designed whole. The scope of the work is limited to the area of ​​the current building. We do not interfere with the remaining existing part of the school with our new construction, so the school will be able to operate without restrictions even during the construction of the new extension.

We placed a new one-story facility on the site of the former gym. The ground floor contains a kitchen and a dining hall, which opens wide with glass surfaces into the green forest on the west side and can be extended to a terrace in the warmer months. Classrooms, offices and toilets are located on the first floor. The classrooms are interconnected through a spacious central space, which allows children to relax during breaks. Natural lighting is provided by roof skylights and from the side of the library.

An open glass pavilion connects the existing school and the new building on the ground and first floor. The role of the pavilion is not limited only to the optimal connection of the two parts of the school. It is also a wonderful connection between the green outdoor atrium in front and the new park on the western part of the school towards the forest. On the ground floor of the pavilion, we enter the main school hall with a staircase. There, we are greeted by the student on duty and an exhibition of works of art from the art class, for instance. The foyer is otherwise a multi-purpose space, which can be expanded into a new multimedia classroom if necessary, thus enabling larger events, performances, exhibitions, or meetings.

The connection between the ground floor of the old and new parts of the school is optimized and runs along a flat and wide corridor along the eastern side of the hall. The corridor connects the main points of interest of the school - the extended corridor in the old part of the school - the new main hall - the dining room.

Through the lobby, we also access the park on the west side of the school, where there is an outdoor classroom and a vegetable garden. All connections provide unimpeded access for people with disabilities.

The first floor of the pavilion is reserved for the library. The special feature of the library is that it extends over two levels through cascading "terraces". In the open pavillion part of the library are tables for working with children and lower bookcases, which allow unobstructed views of the green surroundings and add useful space for presentations of new products. The space thus enables children to learn and expand their horizons on several levels.

The lower level of the library is located in the existing building of the school and is connected to the upper level across the entire width of the library. We have bridged the height difference with longer platforms equipped with seats and bookcases, which at the same time serve as a transition between the lower and upper parts of the library. Students can flip through a book, read magazines, and research content here. Despite the difference in levels, the library provides unobstructed access for people with disabilities from the upper to the lower level with a longer ramp at an appropriate slope that runs along the eastern side of the library. The library is connected via internal stairs to the multimedia classroom on the ground floor.

The pavilion on the first floor allows a quick and varied transition from the old to the new part of the school, without using the stairs. We paid a lot of attention to the problem of connecting the different floors, as we believe that it is absolutely necessary to allow people with mobility impairments to pass in a quick and easy way without the use of elevators - remaining connected to other students. We found a solution in adapting the existing staircase to the west of the new library, which in its current state only goes up to the first floor. The adaptation could be carried out easily without any demolition of the existing staircase. We wanted to create a simple passageway that, just like on the ground floor, connects the main points of interest of the school floor in the shortest possible way - an extended corridor in the old part of the school - an extended space in front of the library (possibility of exhibitions) - a central social space in front of the classrooms and offices with a staircase.

In the basement, below the pavillion, we created a new entrance for the older students with a larger canopy. Through the green atrium, which also serves as a social space, children will enter the dressing room, lit by natural light. The janitor and the archive also have their premises in this part. To the left of the entrance for the third triad, there is a planned connection via stairs to the existing entrance to the school, which can, if necessary, retain its function in the future.

LANDSCAPE DESIGN

By transforming the school's existing vestibule - the green atrium - we created a representative outdoor space with pleasant and useful landscaping. We placed the main entrance in the far right part of the atrium and thus gained space for a more gentle transition of the bank between the lower and upper entrance.

The arrangement of the terrain is planned with longer benches that form terraces or natural stands. A space for socializing with diverse, more and less private environments is created, enabling also open-air lessons, theater or singing performances, and last but not least, a wonderful group photo of the classes can take place here. The outer space of the green atrium continues through the building via the new school hall, past the outdoor classroom and raised beds, all the way to the forest.

TRAFFIC ORGANIZATION

Students and teachers can safely access the school from the side of the parking lot through the platform along the new sports hall and the wide green atrium to the entrance for the third triad or the main entrance to the school. The entire atrium is reserved exclusively for pedestrians and cyclists. The parking lot and delivery routes are completely separate and do not endanger children.

The delivery of food for the needs of the kitchen is planned from the rear, northern side of the building, past the new bicycle stands, so that it can take place smoothly at any part of the day. Part of the northern area of ​​consideration will be physically separated from the rest of the school grounds. It will be used for technological devices and necessary services.

The bicycle shed is arranged as a separate assembly facility right next to the atrium. Cyclists are provided with quick and safe access to the bicycle shed and from the bicycle shed to both main entrances. They do not cross busy traffic areas. There is also an ecological island in the northern part of the bicycle storage facility.

PROJECT INFORMATION

Location: Mengeš, Slovenia

Year of design: 2021

Project status: concept design