FONTAJAU HIGH SCHOOL

PRIZES SHORTLISTED PREMIS D’ARQUITECTURA DE LES COMARQUES DE GIRONA, 2007

LOCATION GIRONA, SPAIN DEVELOPER DEPARTAMENT D’ENSENYAMENT, CATALAN GOVERMENT – GISA AREA BUILDING  4.329 M2; LANDSCAPING 12.431 M2 BUDGET 5.700.000EUR YEARS 2003-2006

The site for this large high school is on the border between a consolidated area to the north and a very recent residential development still under consolidation. The design recognizes this situation placing the building in the highest point of the site, constructing the whole of its longest side and placing the main entrance also open to the south. Its public character and its role as an urban milestone are thus reinforced.

Typologically the building is based on a compact layout with spaces on both sides of a central corridor. This basic layout is broken at certain points to connect the corridor with the outside and let light in, creating spaces that double as meeting areas. The main entrance is a major disruption of the basic layout, also morphologically, in a way that is capable of connecting the street outside with the green areas inside. 

The position of the building allows for an optimal orientation of the classrooms on the north side, enjoying a smooth, regular light, with no need of screens or solar protections. To the south the spaces that have short-time occupancy, such as labs or meeting rooms, are placed. These spaces have fixed metal screens on the outside for glare and solar control, and they vary according to the size and use of the rooms inside. Some singular spaces, like the library, dining room or the drawing class, have two façades in order to improve their use with natural light.

EMBA ENRIC MASSIP-BOSCH, CHIEF PRINCIPAL; MARC RIFÀ-ROVIRA, (PROJECT DIRECTOR); MINORU SUZUKI, CORNELIA MEMM, KARMELE REKONDO (ARCHITECTS) CONSULTANTS JORDI PI (STRUCTURAL DESIGN), JOAN GONZÀLEZ (FACILITIES DESIGN); XAVIER AUMEDES (QUANTITY SURVEYOR); BSB-JESÚS BASSOLS (EXECUTION DIRECTOR) CONSTRUCTION FCC – FOMENTO DE CONSTRUCCIONES Y CONTRATAS CARLOS PÉREZ-MAÑANET PHOTOGRAPHY PAU GUERRERO, ALEIX BAGUÉ