Growing Up Through Space

Project

Malvarrosa School

Status

Competition

Type

School

Year

2008

Location

Valencia, Spain

Credits

Marin Marinović
Susana Iñarra
Nenad Katić
Alex Ayala

A school in the Malvarrosa district of Valencia, conceived as a journey through space that mirrors the journey of growing up.

The plan takes the form of a comb. A long spine gathers the shared functions, and from it parallel wings extend into the site, each dedicated to a different stage of childhood. Between them, courtyards and gardens alternate with covered and open spaces, so that moving through the school means passing constantly between inside and outside, light and shade.

As children grow, the school grows with them. The youngest occupy the most protected and intimate wings, close to the ground and to the gardens. Year by year, they gain access to new places: higher volumes, wider views, larger shared halls, until the whole building becomes theirs to discover.

The comb structure gives each part the freedom to be different. Heights, proportions and the balance between open and enclosed vary from wing to wing, and each becomes almost a project of its own. Timber, white concrete and generous glazing hold the ensemble together, turning this diversity into the school's greatest strength.