Subtraction / Transformation / Addition
Situated in the centre of the village of Riaz, in between the stone church and the agricultural buildings beyond, the proposal adds a series of carefully arranged spaces to the village centre. With the aim of reinforcing the qualities of the existing situation, the aim of the project is to to re-use as much as possible of the existing and build with locally sourced materials.
Through the transformation of the existing school buildings, the remodelling of the exterior and the addition of a new volume in a considered scale, the new ensemble provides a relaxed yet precise addition to the village.
The strategy for the proposal may be summarised as three key strategies.
1. The subtraction of an old air-raid shelter to create two different exterior levels. The higher, more sheltered level, makes up the playground for the smaller pupils while providing a visual connection to the mountains beyond. The lower, more public level, forms the tie to the village and the entrance to the school proper while also providing space for parking bikes and hanging out.
2. The addition of a new timber building and a wedge formed zwischenraum (in-between-space) that creates a connection between the the different spaces of the ensemble. The space allows the new building volume to adapt and adjust to the constraints of the site while also creating informal spaces that accommodate the entrance, communication and room for improvised activities.
3. The transformation of the two existing volumes through the addition of loggias along the facades. The timber loggias create a common material language and allow for the program to fit in the exiting buildings, reducing the size of the new volume and preventing the need for tearing down.
Addition / Transformation / Re-use Situated in the centre of the village of Riaz between the church and the cultivated fields beyond, the transformed and extended school building a series of spaces to the village centre without destroying the qualities of the existing intimate space. By re-using the volumes of the existing school, removing an old air-raid shelter and by adding a new volume in a similar scale, the new ensemble provides a considered and precise addition to the village.Through a clearing up of the incoherent exterior spaces, the new school clearly defines two different levels connected by exterior staircases. The higher, more sheltered level, makes up the playground for the smaller pupils while providing a visual connection to the mountains beyond. The lower level forms the tie to the village and the entrance to the school proper, while providing space for parking bikes and hanging out. Also the slight rotation of the triptych of buildings plays with the angular space formed by the surrounding streetscape. The proposal aims at creating a tie between the existing disparate buildings by adding two wedge formed spaces in between the new and existing structures and the new addition. These spaces adjust and adapt to the constraints of the site and form the entrances to the school while also creating informal spaces that accommodate communication and improvised activities. The project tries to re-use as much as possible of the existing buildings by adding loggia spaces along the facades. These spaces allow the program to fit into three volumes approximately the same size making the composition well adapted to the scale of the surrounding buildings while letting the church dominate the area. This approach also makes minimal changes to the original structure, reducing the necessity of building more new spaces. Being guided by the idea of maximal re-use, the design is inspired by traditional carpentry techniques, which are adapted to fit with the existing concrete structures. The dominating facade materials are wood and glass.