20x20 School

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2013 — 2014

The design of this prototype-school was conceived to accommodate a new mode of education, without classrooms and boasting an unusual student-teacher relationship. The method utilizes new technologies and individualized care; the students sit in circles and are divided into groups of six that are accompanied exclusively by a dedicated teacher. After experiencing this method in adapted schools, the secretary came up with the idea of designing a space to accommodate the innovative proposal. The site chosen for the construction of the first pavilion was an area on the lot of the Orsina da Fonseca Municipal School, which functions in a building with modern features in the Tijuca's neighborhood, in the West zone of the city. There, they found a 20 x 20 meter patio avaliable. The architecture team created a prototype that could adapt not only the specific patio, but also to other restricted spaces od diverse topographies. Generally speaking, the pavilion is defined as two volumes laid out at half - level in relation to each other. The academic block can be found on one side, with its flexible teaching spaces, including its pilotis area and rooftop. On the opposite side is the support block with its water closets, administration area and other auxiliary environments. As an extension of the initial proposal, the architects developed a hypothesis for the Rocinha community, with a variation of the prototype on a larger scale. Text by Fernando Serapião


Architecture: Spadoni AA – Francisco Spadoni and Paulo Catto Gomes (authors); Jaime Vega and Marcos da Costa Sartori (team)

Location: Rio de Janeiro, RJ
Project Year: 2012
Built area: 1.234 m2

Project GENTE – Ginásio Experimental de Novas Tecnologias, Prefeitura Municipal do Rio de janeiro