School in Benihager
2012 (project)
Benihager – United Emirates

Co-authors: Jorge Guimarães, Mario Sampaio and André Costa

The severe weather conditions forces most of the activities in this building to be held indoors. The concept relies on the idea of having 2 main volumes each with an interior court and linked by a multifunctional central space. This allows the classrooms to share the central patios and encourages students to socialize. Elementary school is placed on the ground floor, and middle school and high school are each set on a separate volume. Here students arrive by car and the garage plays an important role due to the car flow spikes in the early morning and in the afternoon. A mechanized sun shading system allows to control the entrance of natural light without focusing on the glass surfaces.