We present this special school by AL BORDE, a ecuadorian studio. AL BORDE with the community members and volunteers build this school in intimate relation with the place, and this way children will be able to dream the present and the future.

Memory of project
 

“For all of we, who belong to the this Community, it´s been a cause of pride to have our new school. Our community is located on the beach, on the field, in a far away site, been fishing and agriculture the basis of our daily meals. Until 4 years ago there was no school in the community and because of that, most of its inhabitants were illiterate. We began with our school in a small cottage, but as the time passed, the space was got smaller because of the number of children, that’s why we undertook the construction of a new place”.

The Teacher.


Most of the schools near the area are made of concrete, with a rectangular shape, with window bars that make it look more like a jail than a school, and the level of defection is very high. That is the reason why the project is looking for solving not only immediate problems but generate long-term solutions.

It was extremely necessary to design the space according to the principles of an active school. The project must be intimately closed with the natural environment nearby. A space were kids can wake up their imagination, their creativity, their desire of learning new things, and not an space were kids feel repressed.

The project uses the same materials and building patterns the community has been using for building for years. A timber basis above the foundation piles, bamboo walls, wood structure and a roof made of knitted straw scarf or “cade”. The difference lies in the conception and conceptualization of the space. A place for education that encourages learning through action.
 

“A huge change in the children´s learning process has been made since the very beginnings of the school. The action of opening the entrance door is a physics lesson. The space is generous in every way, which is why the kids feel freer finding each one their own place in which they are going to develop their activities. The model and the structure transmit a freshness and imaginative environment that has favored the development of artistic and academic activities through the lessons that gives the best teacher ever, nature”

The Teacher.


Now, the children and their parents are proud of their school. Proud of the change that this school has made, been a motif of union and self-esteem for the whole community. When people from outside admire it, when they see it and know it.

“In our Fisher community, It´s the prettiest thing, having a school with a boat shape in where every day, kinds jump into it and get ready to sail and discover new worlds from their very own intern world full of abilities and potentialities. In where children learn science and technology, valuing the life of the field as an starting point, through the lessons given by the best teacher of all, the nature”

The Teacher.

Text.- AL BORDE.

CREDITS.-

Main architect.- ARX PORTUGAL, Arquitectos Lda. José Mateus Nuno Mateus.
Team collaborators.-Sofia Raposo, Bruno Goncalves, Pedro Jesus.
Engeneering.- SAFRE, Projectos e Estudos de Engenharia Lda.
Date.- 2006-07 (Project), 2008–2011 (Construction).
Surface.- 1010 m² (Construction Area).
Site.- Leiria, Portugal.

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Al Borde (Malu Borja, David Barragán, Esteban Benavides, Pascual Gangotena) was founded in 2007. The team from Ecuador impresses with its poetic interpretation of the constructive foundations of building. They analyze needs, design financing concepts and implement products. High-quality architecture in Ecuador can only be created by architects with a great sense of commitment.

Al Borde is a collaborative and experimental architectural study that focuses on solving real needs on the basis of available material, being this social or physical. As the 'bricoleur' ​​in the mind of French anthropologist Levi Strauss, the group works with what it has at its disposal, re-combining the pre-existing in a basic, logical, simple way, without prejudice. The work is done from the specific complexity of the problem but with a holistic perspective, an exploration that has led interdisciplinary collaborations with musicians, artists, performers, designers, publicists, etc. The strength of their buildings lies in their pojectual ability to combine objective architectural responses to subjective user perceptions resulting in hybrid constructive systems that combines the traditional with the contemporary, also integrating the management of social and community energy to carry out their work.

David Barragán and Pascual Gangotena, who founded the studio in 2007 in Quito, now joined Marialuisa Borja and Esteban Benavides. Al Borde has given lectures and workshops nationally and internationally and has received numerous awards and recognitions among which are:  Nominee Schelling Architecture Prize 2012, Germany / Nominee Iakov Chernikhov International Prize for Young Architects 2012, Russia / “Taller Particular”, Honorable Mention, 6th International Architecture Festival in Barcelona EME3 - Spain, 2011 / Al Borde, architectural merit "Francisco Eduardo Tresguerras ", the highest honor awarded by the College of Architects of Celaya, Mexico, 2010 / “Nueva Esperanza” School, Official Selection Works, the highest honor awarded by the VII BIAU 2010, Medellin - Colombia, 2010 / House Between Walls , 20 +10 + X Architecture Award, World Architecture Community, Third Cycle 2009 / Pentimento House (Jose Maria Sáez and David Barragán), Award for Best Young Architect, VI BIAU 2008, Lisbon, Portugal, 2008 and the National Architectural Design Award, XV BAQ 2006, Quito - Ecuador, 2006 / “Compartiendo cielo y tierra”, People Cityscape, David Barragan, Gold Medal - Final Year Project, XV BAQ 2006, Quito - Ecuador, 2006.

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Published on: November 1, 2013
Cite: "Nueva Esperanza School" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/nueva-esperanza-school> ISSN 1139-6415
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