Architects:Abalo Alonso Arquitectos

Area:8256ft²

Year:2018

Photographs:Santos-Díez (Bisimages)

Manufacturers:Egoin,Arturo Alvarez,CUBREGAL,Carpintek,Finsa,Gerflor

Project:Elizabeth Abalo, Gonzalo Alonso, Francisco González

Construction Management:Elizabeth Abalo, Gonzalo Alonso

Technical Architect:Francisco González Varela

Collaborator:Luis Adrán

Structural Calculation:Maderas Besteiro, Adolfo Montero

Facilities Calculation:Gaia Enxeñería

Lighting Consulting:Spotlux. Manuel M. Carazo

Wood Consulting:Cis Madeira, Manuel Touza, Azahara Sólan

Promoters:Concello de A Estrada,Consorcio Galego de Servizos de Igualdade e Benestar

Construction:Ute Petrolam Construcciones Galasur

Project Manager:Cándido López Blanco

Manager:José Manuel Luna

City:La Estrada

Country:Spain

Text description provided by the architects. The new kindergarten is situated on the edge of the urban center, where the town and the countryside come together. In a place where the industrial past is still present in the collective memory, and where some old facilities remain. A series of volumes, almost elementary, are connected as if they were the wood houses in a nearby “rueiro” evoking the woodworking tradition of the area.

The functional scheme of the school is very simple. Three longitudinal bands fulfill the needs of the program: to the north, administration, and services; to the south the classrooms and, at the center, the multipurpose room and general distribution hall of the building.

The central volume has no partitions, but it is organized by the roof surfaces and skylights that define the space, reduce acoustic impact, let daylight in, and favor ventilation. This differentiation of spaces is not drastic but visually helps to separate areas that can be used during different times of the day or for a variety of activities.

The south band contains classrooms. Slightly square-shaped, each one of them has a play area from side to side, a hygiene area, and a rest area. The hygiene area, along the façade, offers control, daylight, and natural ventilation. The resting area, towards the interior, creates an ideal space for audiovisual or, simply, permits organizing the classroom into different areas.

The building´s structural system consists of load-bearing walls of contra laminated wood, isolated in the facades and lined with autoclave treated pine wood. The roof is built with double-board over laminated wood beams, insulation, and zinc. The window frames are also made of wood and the partitions and linings, of plasterboard.

Project gallery

Project location

Address:Av. Benito Vigo, 106, 36680 La Estrada, Pontevedra, Spain