Nursery school in Monells

The enlargement of the building is planned as a container of simple volumes and of industrialised construction. In the interior, pure and opened planned spaces are designed to comprise new classrooms, the canteen, changing rooms and toilets. In accordance with the budget limitations of a small village like Monells, we had to choose a fast and economical type of construction, with simple materials. We went for a modular system normally used in stands for trade fairs and auxiliary ephemeral constructions, such as toilets and changing rooms… The limitations of the constructive system required modulations on the closures, openings and elevations. It was necessary to use simple materials and a narrower repertoire of shapes.

Nevertheless, we thought we could still achieve a respectable and valid proposal in its context, selecting a blunt shape and volume, and believing in the effectiveness of a clean prismatic volume, with sharp edges. This bluntness and simplicity are also reflected in the colour and shape of the material. Flat profiles were chosen for the ceilings, without grooves or perforations which could moderate its strength. A maroon red was selected, a tonality that emphasizes its character as a peculiar object and is coherent the reddish colours of the rural areas.

The old town centre of Monells appears in the background of the building, with the bell tower of the romanesque church as an immediate visual reference. The straight lines and pure volumes of intense red in the new implementation contrast with the shapes of the historical context and at the same time establish a certain link in what refers to proportionality, the textures and colours.

South facade:

East facade: