Votes:
9
Kasbah of Knowledge - Middle school
Morocco
Media
Drawings, plans, elevations
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The project for the construction of a second middle school (college) for the children of OCP employees in the city of “El Jadida” is the result of a desire to anticipate future needs, following a significant increase in the number of children enrolled in the primary cycle. last years. For reasons of proximity, the future building will be located near the residential complex inhabited by OCP employees, in the “OCEAN” district, on the same plot of the first college that has just been completed. Parking and delivery access has been moved away from the big pedestrian access, to ensure the safety of students, and free the main entrance from the excessive presence of cars. In order to pool the use of the sports area, it was placed in the middle of the two buildings in addition to a simple connecting door between the two establishments to prevent the students from leaving the school area. The choice of the location of the teaching building is motivated by the desire to offer clear views for all existing and future buildings. this decision will help decongest the area and strengthen coexistence between its components. The compactness of the project has allowed us to shorten the distances traveled by the users. And particular attention was paid to the flow of traffic on the Ground Floor, creating intermediate passages along the central gallery connecting the two main staircases. In order to allow quick access to all parts of the college. A large public square serves as a smooth transition between the college and its surroundings, fostering social ties between parents, as well as providing a secure space for children to be safe from cars when they leave the school. This large parvis is zn kind of a mineral carpet highlighting the architecture of the building. In order to better integrate the building into its context, it adopts an architectural vocabulary explicitly inspired by traditional Moroccan heritage. The tribute to the architecture of the “Portuguese city” and the “medina” (two key monuments of the city of el jadida) is translated by volumes of staircase like the turrets of the walls of the Medina, and the white envelope of the classrooms assumes the same function as the “Ryads” moucharabieh, both as protection against the excessive heat of the sun and also as a screen sculpting the light of day, bringing poetry and spirituality to the Interior spaces. The interior gallery that crosses along the building, recall the dark narrow streets of the southern kasbah. It is the umbilical cord connecting all interior spaces, with an atmosphere conducive to learning, stimulating curiosity and the appetite for discovery.