As the summer days come to an end, the focus naturally shifts to the realm of academia, a space full of curiosity, energy, and ingenuity. For architects, educational spaces are an opportunity for exploration, as they gather eager students together with professors and experts in their respective fields. The environment of educational facilities thus becomes a canvas for the cultivation of creativity, curiosity, and growth. From the playfulness of kindergartens and preschools to the halls of faculties that shape the scholars of tomorrow, the architecture of educational spaces must balance structure and flexibility to respond to the needs of students, teacher, and their larger communities.
This week’s curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights designs submitted by the ArchDaily community dedicated to educational institutions. From innovative programs dedicated to child development and community engagement to specialized high schools or inclusive institutions learning to work with locally available materials such as rammed earth, this selection highlights projects dedicated to the exchange of knowledge in its varied forms.
Read on to discover 8 unbuilt educational facilities, from preschools and child development centers to high schools and faculty buildings, along with descriptions provided by the architects.
Related Article
A School for Girls in India and a Vertical Community Farm in the US: 10 Unbuilt Socially Engaged Projects Submitted to ArchDailyArt and Music High School in Aosta, Italy
The project for the new LICAM is based on the idea of a measured building with simple volumes and characterized by a facade that plays on the rhythm and proportions of architectural elements. In particular, the facade design is based on different sizes of vertical and horizontal trapezoidal elements that define a frame that shows the structural nature of the building. The shell highlights an alternation of solids and voids where the concrete's materiality contrasts with the glass's transparency and lightness. From the point of view of the materials, the facade is made up of prefabricated elements in brick-colored concrete like the architecture of the Roman era located near the site, particularly the "Tour Du Pailleron."
Endless Possibilities
The proposed project aims to create locally inspired architecture that offers a nurturing environment for the growth of children, using sustainable techniques. Architecturally, the project draws its inspiration from the built fabric of the area, aspiring to have its roots in local topology and tradition. Structure and order, two important qualities that form the basis of children’s development, are translated into the architectural language in the form of a grid, which in return forms the basis of the project and brings unity to the ensemble. On this canvas, the fundamental elements of a preschool are embedded to create a nurturing environment for the development of the children.
Comprehensive Educator – A New Kindergarten in Bar, Montenegro
With a proposal that takes inspiration from the context: of sea, stone, ship, and cypresses, BIRO81000 has won a competition to design a new kindergarten for the coastal town of Bar in Montenegro. The winning proposal wants to offer a modern architectural solution that will become a COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATOR OF THE WIDER SOCIAL COMMUNITY - the spatial benchmark of the city of Bar, through a meaningful, functional, interactive, and didactic way of use. A layered, integral, harmonious, dynamic and humane environment for life and work of the highest values and possibilities was formed - a space that encourages community and inclusion.
New Addition to the Academy of Fine Arts by Côme Ménage
Located in Stuttgart, Germany, Weissenhof is a major project that consists of the restoration and preservation of three townhouses in Weissenhof Heights and the Academy of Fine Arts extension. In Weissenhof Heights, re-a.d had the idea of turning Bruckmannweg into the new center street of the Weissenhof Siedlung and that the historical stair south of the compound can be the iconic new entrance to Weissenhof Siedlung. The Academy of Fine Arts was looking for an extension building that relates to the Modernist UNESCO World Heritage.
Innovative school in the Tuscan countryside
The new Primary School, built in the Tuscan hills of Chianti near Florence, was conceived as a real civic center open to citizens, capable of hosting innovative and dynamic educational activities in constant change. With the aim of creating a civic village that is also active during extracurricular hours, the building consists of two distinct blocks joined by a single-pitched roof. The central courtyard becomes the ideal place for learning and playing or an occasion for holding cultural events, open-air shows, and parties. The new intervention is designed as a suitable place for moments of sharing and aggregation.
Art & Science Child Development Centre
STUDIO SHOO
The restoration project in Vostan, Armenia, aims to transform a former cultural center into an Art & Science Centre for children. The facility will serve as a cultural and educational hub, engaging youth in the development of their community. The project includes landscaping, a park area, and a sports playground. The architectural concept preserves the historical heritage while incorporating modern elements like minimalist furniture and natural materials. The Centre will provide professional studies in web development, graphic design, and IT.
Faculty of Music
The location of the faculty is in Belgrade, Serbia, in the green and coastal city core. The aim was to design an edifice that, given its open disposition, would ensure the continuance of green spaces and surfaces as well as enable the connection of Linear and Pančić park. In this way, a new, important, green axis of the city is formed, and further, it allows users to descend unhindered to the banks of the Danube.
Dizin School
It has been noted that the school requires reconstruction and redesigning due to dilapidation and inadequate educational space. In addition to serving as an educational institution, it should be viewed as a unifying element for the village community. Many Iranian villages retain their traditional family-oriented culture and engage in communal cultural and social activities. Therefore, the design of this space must promote social and cultural unity within the community and provide opportunities for the congregation of various segments of the village.
HOW TO SUBMIT AN UNBUILT PROJECT
We highly appreciate the input from our readers and are always happy to see more projects designed by them. If you have an Unbuilt project to submit, click here and follow the guidelines. Our curators will review your submission and get back to you in case it is selected for a feature.
