Luís de Freitas Branco School
LUÍS DE FREITAS BRANCO SCHOOL
Célia Gomes + Pedro Machado Costa
ARCHITECTS
Célia Gomes, Pedro Machado Costa
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
ARPAS
ENGINEERING
AFAconsult / Raul Serafim
CLIENT
Parque Escolar EPE
PHOTOGRAPHS
João Morgado
AREA
17000 m²
YEAR
2016
LOCATION
Paço De Arcos, Portugal
CATEGORY
Schools
Text description provided by architect.
The Luís de Freitas Branco School is a redevelopment project of an existing school located in Paco de Arcos, on the outskirts of Lisbon. The school occupies the interior of a large suburban block.
On a plot that features quite a steep topography, the existing school was constituted by several buildings, which contained the whole program.
The chosen strategy was the demolition of some of the existing buildings and the reorganisation of all exterior spaces.
This is achieved by the creation of various levels developed at different heights, allowing for a more fluid circulation throughout the school.
Two large parallel volumes were created, and they draw the boundary of the exterior square (entrance) on the one hand, and also clarify the use of the whole complex. The circulation and leisure spaces assume the main role in order to ensure the permanence of the students.
The existence of large indoor and outdoor courtyards characterised by their unevenness, the use of triple ceiling heights or of large ramps, are designed with a scenographic approach, intended to allow different uses and also to create spaces that are important in the functional organisation of the whole school.
The academic areas are in three pre-existing buildings, the green blocks, which are spatially articulated with patios and with the paths that are created.
