La Florida Technical High School

by Marsino Architects

© Pedro Mutis

© Pedro Mutis

Architects / 建筑师 : jorge marsino p. y maría inés buzzoni g.

Collaborators / 助理建筑师 : maría josé martínez, noemie de saedeleer, cristián

contreras, diego achurra, jaime fuentes, paula

versalovic, arturo steinberg y paulo ferrer

client / 客户 :municipal corporation of education and health of la florida (comudef) / la florida

教育与健康市政社团 (comudef)

general contractor / 主承包商或总承包商 : inca ltda.

structural engineering / 结构勘测 : patricio stagno / hoemann & stagno

site area / 占地面积 : 7.860 m2

built area / 建筑面 : 4.497,29 m2

location / 位置 : av. la florida 6045, comuna de la florida, santiago

design year / 项目年份 : 2002-2004

project year / 建筑年份 : 2005-2007

photographs / 摄影 : pedro mutis johnson

Financed through a tender by the Ministry of Education and the Regional Government –within the framework of the Jornada Escolar Completa, or full day schooling program– this new facility houses 900 students in an environment with a strong computer technology presence that reflects the paradigm shift that Chilean education is experiencing in the crossover from teaching to learning.

Specifically, the project responds to the lack of coverage detected by the communal authorities regarding secondary education, especially in Technical-Professional Specialization, intended to give its students the necessary work skills to participate productively in society in the short term.

The characteristics of self-sufficiency and integration of contemporary education implies an interrelationship between a more fluid and flexible space with that of the classical one; a narrative continuity of multiple entrances and walkways under the concept of autonomy and simultaneity.

This being a Technical High School, which requires an intensive use of specialized workshops that are complementary with conventional classrooms, the corridors have been proposed as a system of ramps that go up from classroom to classroom, connecting the floors via walkways. This allows for better student traffic flow, creating flexibility in the use of the area. On the other hand, the inclusion of ramps removes the need for elevators and ensures access to any point in the facility by disabled persons.

The intention to create continuous vertical walkways is a product of the investigation that has been carried out by the architects, and this is the first experience of an education establishment of this kind in Chile. This is a continuation of the Escuela Diego Portales project of the San Bernardo commune, which already incorporates a system of ramps in a double “spiral” of walkways.

The main building has an internal covered patio, around which passages and bridges are erected to reduce interconnecting distances and create traffic flexibility by concentrating it around the buildings, such as the gymnasium. The interconnecting area, which is the access hall of the college, responds to the need of a public building open to its community. This is in step with the criteria established by the authorities for reformed educational establishments.