Mabillon 5

Today we present a school competition in Switzerland, in the "Comune de Monthey" done with rkstudio (http://www.rkstudio.ch/) and x-made

First thing we saw when we went to the site was a great green void that we wanted to maintain as maximum as possible.

In this site was also a pre-existence which we had to keep, again being a piece in the middle of the green.

Our first move was to clean the site from everything not needed: we only kept the existing school and the pre-existence as pieces in the middle of a greens cape like only in Switzerland can be.

Then we put the main program again as pieces in the greens cape, as free pieces with minimum direction so the green would flow through all the site.

And then we modified the site to put the gyms + the rest of the program, creating with this movement a green space at +4m that would be a controlled space for the kids to play.

We understood this project as a combination game, as a game of different geometries to fit the program in it.

A combination game that would dodge the trees to keep the idea of "learning in the nature" or "learning in the trees"

By this movements and ideas we created much smaller pieces that will keep the existing values of the site.

And of course will fit better with the surroundings.

Image of the model wit surroundings.

Image of the model wit surroundings.

Image of the model wit surroundings. In this image you can appreciate how the different pieces create "doors" to access to the building.

The elevated patio creates a covered path that crosses the whole site and connects both ends.

The school and the day-school share a common garden in a controlled space.

School is divided in two blocks and day-school occupies the north block.

Only the middle block is 3 stories high, creating a changing volume.

The gym is two floors under the earth, giving extra space for storages, kitchen, changing rooms...

The gym occupies a floor by itself, being able to connect or separate the use of the two fields.

But reaches the light in the ground floor level, having the elevated patio above it.


The structure allows trees in +4m level terrace, making it part of the greens cape.


Entrance spaces are created between volumes, that become an abstract shape with the ceramic and glass horizontal bands.

The facade makes openings at several heights, making the trees part of the project.

Elevation showing the volumes as abstract shapes and the floor rising to +4m.

The several blocks have different heights, playing with the environment

Trees are planted all over the site, creating the "learning in the trees" experience.

windows occur at several heights, giving different experiences at the different floors.

Section showing the gym, with the greens cape on top of it and the music school over facing it.

Section showing the gyms with the connection as a public plaza in level +0, changing rooms in level -1 and storage in level -2

Model shot revealing relationship with pre-existence, that becomes a door with the last volume and gives entrance to the covered path.

new street created with the block defining the space.

Entrance ambit with tree embedded in the raised floor.

Phase 1: old school and new school exist together.

Phase 2: old school is demolished and new playing ground appears.

Phase 3: new school appears and finishes the set.

The two south blocks are school. The north block is day-school and dentist in the upper floors and restaurant in the lower floor. Fanfares happen in the ground floor, as an independent issue.

Volumes maximize the sun in the free areas.

More info about this project under the mabillon 5 tag
http://raichdelrio.blogspot.com/search/label/_mabillon%205

More info about us
www.raichdelrio.com
raichdelrio.blogspot.com