Habitar Portugal 12-14HP 12-14

The Sever do Vouga School is located in the serra do Arestal hills, part of the maciço do Gralheiro mountainous region.
The site occupies a ridge in the hills with a slope of 26 m. The design aims at re-organising the school around the original four 3×3 blocks built in 1983, adding to and optimising the range of learning spaces and freeing up two generous exterior spaces to the north and south for recreational use.
A new L-shaped structure was added to the four existing blocks, enveloping them and defining a system of courtyards and the topographic boundary. The structure houses the main entrance and shared spaces. The primary school on the upper level (level 2) is forms a U shape around a spacious south-facing courtyard open to the valley. It functions as a kind of acropolis overlooking and dominating the territory.
The various school areas housed on the three platforms are linked by two circulation routes: one, more artificial and pragmatic, links the three platforms along a north-south axis; the other is more natural and follows the site topography.
This system is complemented by a number of suspended walkways at the school entrance level that connect the pre-existing and new blocks, creating a varying system of relationships between the school’s various levels and courtyards.