Educational center for the disabled in Albolote

PROJECT: Educational center for the disabled in Albolote

In Nuevo Cubillas, Albolote, in the Granada plains, this project for a Center for Education for People with Disabilities is being developed on a 12,030 m2 plot of land, commissioned by Caja General de Granada. The facilities include classrooms, a computer lab, a laboratory, workshops, rehabilitation facilities, a gymnasium, a games room, changing rooms, an administrative and management area, a residential area, and a multi-sports court. It is a carefully considered project, focused both on its interior design and its relationship with the surrounding environment, incorporating environmental criteria of energy saving and efficiency, and seeking to minimize the visual impact of a building of almost nine thousand square meters. Users perceive a sense of spaciousness that extends beyond the actual dimensions of the complex thanks to the transparencies, interior gardens, visual perspectives, and open vistas that frame the exterior landscape.

The bulk of the program has been formalized on a large, semi-subterranean platform with vegetation on its roof surface and punctuated by interior gardens. Below ground level, the lower floor houses the teaching areas and complementary services such as the gymnasium, parking, and other facilities. The upper floor contains the administrative area, medical services, gymnasium, auditorium, and common areas for the residences. Rising from the platform's almost natural base are the architectural landmarks of the complex: the volumes that will house the dormitories for the student residence (two floors) and the nuns' residence (one floor), and the roofs of the largest and most distinctive spaces: the auditorium, library, and gymnasium.