Els Alamús, a small village in the countryside of Catalonia, is surrounded by a geometrical landscape, of agricultural fields and fruit trees.
Project Name: Arreletes Day Care Center
Location: Els Alamús, Spain
Size: 255 m2
Duration: 2005-2008
Director: Xavier Vilalta
Project Leader: Núria Navarro
Project Team: Margarita Félix, Sonia Maia
Projects manager: Mario Campos
Photographer: Jordi Anguera
The project is located between the village and the fields, creating two volumes: one at the bottom with the classrooms and the courtyard, and another one on top with the spaces for the staff, overlooking the courtyard of the kids. The two volumes offer a dual access to the school, connected by a staircase inserted into the natural slope.
The spaces are versatile, continuous and have controlled lighting. The lobby and the first classroom can be transformed into a dining hall. The classrooms are connected to the courtyard through the changing room, enjoying an excellent orientation to the east by the horizontal window that rests on the slope.
On the west, a wall composed by color glasses is drawn by the abstraction of a pixilated image of the apple trees. This façade has become representative image of the building and for the entrance of the village. On the inside, it is an entertaining screened space for the kids.
The nursery was built with steel, concrete, glass and wood except for the green roof garden to preserve the neighbors views to the agricultural fields and to keep interior temperature under control.
