The students of Escola Paco Candel will not be able to start the next school year in the new building. The center will open in September with provisional modules due to accumulated delays in the works, despite the fact that the project for the definitive facility already defines the distribution of classrooms, energy systems, and construction materials.
The main paradox of the schedule is that the school, designed to significantly reduce consumption and improve the environmental conditions of the classrooms, will not be ready in time for the start of the school year. The educational community of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat will have to wait while the teaching activity is temporarily moved to portable classrooms.
The new center will consume 75% less energy than a standard building
The municipal architect Sergio López has explained that the future building has been designed to sharply reduce energy demand. Specifically, it will consume approximately 75% less energy than a standard construction thanks to the combination of several passive and active solutions.
López has detailed that the center will incorporate underfloor heating for cooling in summer, a natural ventilation system that tempers the outside air, and an envelope with considerable insulation. In addition, there will be terraces in each classroom that will act as sun protection.
Furthermore, the project opts for local materials, with the presence of wood and ceramic in the construction of the new school facility in L'Hospitalet.
The classrooms are arranged around three central courtyards
The design distributes all classrooms around three central courtyards. Sergio López maintains that these spaces will regulate ventilation, provide natural lighting, and also serve as an alternative to conventional classes.
The interior organization of the building aims for the courtyards to be not just empty spaces for passage, but functional elements within the daily operation of the center. Each classroom, moreover, will have access to a terrace linked to both climate comfort and daily school use.
The architectural project was drafted by the studio Comas-Pont Arquitectes, whose proposal was chosen by a jury with representation from the center's parents' association, the Official College of Architects of Catalonia, and the L'Hospitalet de Llobregat City Council.
September, therefore, will mark the start of the school year in provisional modules while the launch of a building designed with three central courtyards and classrooms with terraces remains pending.