PUBLIC BUILDINGS

HENRIQUES NOGUEIRA SECONDARY SCHOOL ESHN

Torres Vedras . 2009

Design year
2009
Construction year
2011 - 2012
Location
Torres Vedras, Portugal
Team
Jorge Sousa Santos, Vyernu Patel, Nuno Gomes, Paulo Marques, Pedro Sequeira, Bruno Ferraz, Patricia Costa, Ismael Prata, Sofia Oliveira, Mariana Sá
Client
Parque Escolar

Gallery

About the project

The intervention comprises the rehabilitation of part of the existing campus buildings and the construction of new volumes.

The new buildings are defined primarily by a layout that respects the orientations of the existing blocks, structuring an internal urban system within the school grounds. This organisation seeks to optimise open spaces, allowing their use as recreational areas while simultaneously ensuring the necessary space for outdoor sports fields. Given the limited availability of exterior space, this constitutes a rigorous exercise in spatial optimisation.

The library building is conceived as a volume perforated by four interior courtyards and intersected by a ramp that, despite its proximity to interior spaces, assumes the condition of an exterior space. This ramp originates from a functional requirement — the need to provide an accessibility system for people with reduced mobility — but takes on a structuring role in the organisation of the building.