Landscape integration and architectural continuity

Algaida is a village located in the center of Mallorca which has experienced continuous population growth for many years. For this reason, expanding the nursery school was a key priority for the local council.

The building consisted of an original block dating from 1990 and a later extension that provided continuity to the façades. With the aim of continuing this approach, this extension maintains the volume and architectural language of the existing nursery school. It consists of an extension of the ground floor volume with a pitched roof covered in Arabic tiles, maintaining the rhythm of three openings with Mallorcan-style joinery and extending the plinth. On the north-west façade, the square openings are retained, whilst on the other façades the windows are vertical to capture more sunlight and adapt to the traditional style of the village.

The structure combines load-bearing walls and one-way slabs. The materials in contact with the interior are natural and enhance the quality and live ability of the space. In this regard, timber plays a prominent role and can be found in the beams of the pitched roof, the ceiling finish and the joinery. In contrast, the materials in contact with the exterior are subject to greater wear and tear and are designed to require little maintenance. In line with this, a plinth has been installed to protect this area of the façade, which is the most exposed, and above this, an ETICS system with an acrylic mortar finish and aluminum shutters has been fitted.

Spatial organization and flexibility of use

The latest renovation adds two classrooms, a shared toilet, a multi-purpose space and a small courtyard to the existing layout. With the aim of making the most of the existing structure and preserving the character of the nursery, the concrete arch has been retained and the former entrance porch has been converted into a multi-purpose space. This space connects six classrooms (four existing and two new) and allows for activities to be carried out that complement those taking place inside the classrooms, thereby improving the center’s operations.

The separation between the new building and the existing one not only preserves the crossventilation and natural light in the two existing classrooms that adjoin the extension, but also creates a connection between the main courtyard and the new one. The latter serves as an extension of the two classrooms, to which it provides direct access, and creates a new link between the interior and the exterior. The ease of moving from indoors to outdoors encourages children’s learning through experience and exploration within a safe environment.

The development of the proposal has been carried out in collaboration with the school’s management team with the aim of reflecting its philosophy and incorporating all its requirements into the design. One of the key areas of focus has been the sightlines for both children and adults. On the one hand, the children’s privacy has been protected by preventing them from being seen from the outside. On the other hand, sightlines between the interior and the outdoor spaces intended for children, such as the playgrounds, have been encouraged, with doors featuring floorto- ceiling glass panels. In the same vein, the visual connection between the center’s various interior spaces has been emphasized, to allow exploration of areas beyond the classrooms and to safely encourage the children’s independence, whilst enabling the teachers to keep an eye on them from any vantage point.

Sustainability, energy efficiency and thermal comfort

The project takes into account aspects of energy efficiency, as well as thermal, lighting and acoustic comfort. Children are particularly sensitive to the thermal and health conditions of their environment; for this reason, special attention has been paid to the design of the spaces. To this end, factors such as natural cross-ventilation, natural lighting, protection from direct solar radiation in summer and the capture of solar energy during winter, thermal inertia, thermal insulation and the minimization of thermal bridges have been taken into account. Overall, various passive and active strategies have been implemented in the building to achieve a high level of comfort with low energy consumption, in both the warm and cold months.

Among other things, thermal insulation is installed from the outside, eliminating thermal bridges and preserving the thermal mass of the masonry walls on the inside. The insulation thickness of the façades and roofs is substantial to minimize heat loss to the outside air. In contrast, the floor insulation is much thinner to take advantage of the thermal mass of the ground, which provides thermal stability and helps with passive cooling in summer whilst preventing heat loss in winter.

The openings have been designed to promote natural cross-ventilation by taking advantage of prevailing winds. The external sunshades are operable and serve to adapt the lighting requirements of the classrooms and encourage night-time ventilation. In addition to the height of the classrooms, which helps hot air to remain at the top, the use of ceiling fans improves the thermal comfort in summer. In winter, however, the fans reduce air stratification with a slow movement that prevents warm air from remaining at the top of the classrooms.

Renovation of the main playground

The renovation of the main playground aims to transform it into yet another educational space within the center. In line with the center’s educational vision, various areas have been designed to enable children to develop their independence, psychomotor skills, imagination, and understanding of nature and their surroundings through their own experiences. The child is at the heart of the space and will always be accompanied by the center’s teachers or other adults who can observe them comfortably from seating areas.

All the materials and features in the playground form part of a strategy for safety, outdoor comfort and health, prioritizing natural finishes such as compacted earth flooring, the sandpit and the pine bark area. In addition, the vegetation has been enhanced with a bed of aromatic shrubs, and shaded areas have been created using a metal pergola.