Two New Pieces for an Old School

Project

Enrique Terrasa School

Status

Built

Type

School extension

Year

2009

Location

Valencia, Spain

Credits

Marin Marinović
Susana Iñarra
Alex Ayala
Monica Espi

Enrique Terrasa is a monumental school building from 1940 in Malvarrosa, Valencia's seafront district, a few steps from the beach. The intervention adds two annex volumes on the courtyard façade, gathering all of the school's wet cores into new, clearly defined pieces.

Because teaching could not stop, the annexes were built with a steel frame and composite deck slabs, allowing fast construction without interrupting school life. On the façades, three window modules follow a random sequence, so each volume reads as an independent piece set against the old building, while inside, light and shadow shift constantly across the walls. Materials were chosen to withstand intensive daily use, yet still give young users spaces rich in texture and optical sensation.