New Letovo.Junior campus will be built in modern Barnhouse style
The new ultra-modern Letovo.Junior campus for 960 students is going to be built near Lomonosov multifunctional cluster in the scientific valley of Moscow State University. The school is designed not as an integral building, but as a children’s town. Each part is a separate «block» with public spaces in between. This was said by Chief Architect of Moscow Sergey Kuznetsov.
UNK architects completed the work on the creation of the concept of facades for the Letovo.Junior school, which will open at the address: Ramenki, Vernadsky Avenue, land plot 8B. The educational complex includes a kindergarten, primary and secondary schools. The blocks are connected by galleries and public spaces. A large sports hall became a separate element.
«The school is being designed not as an integral building, but as a children’s town. Each part is a separate «block» with public spaces in between. The first quarter is a cozy town for young children, the second, intended for elementary grades, has taken the form of a greenhouse, the third is a technology hub in the form of a block constructor for secondary school students, while the gym refers to industrial architecture, it is a kind of «sports factory» — said Sergey Kuznetsov.
As part of the competition, the architects presented the look of the school, which was based on a number of values. First, individuality: each block has its own unique look, which allows the child to identify the school as a personal space. Secondly, safety: after all, the school is associated with a second home, and an important aspect of the house is the feeling of coziness and comfort. This effect is achieved by using child-sized volumes and recognizable images. Another important aspect is interest.
It is important that the learning process does not turn into a routine, the look of the school should evoke an emotional response, so each block of the school «speaks» to students of different ages in their language. The campus will be designed in the modern Barnhouse style. Panels with wood texture, bent glass, aluminum lamellas, bricks will be used for finishing. One of the blocks has a wave-shaped roof and rounded facades. Volumetric elements with slopes either serve as exits to the roof, or are decorative.
«The exterior of the school reflects the internal structure of the building. Classes are located along its perimeter, each class on the facades is visually separated into a separate «house». Children may associate themselves with their class even when they are outside the school. In the center, there are recreational «squares, which are surrounded by „houses“ and illuminated by second-light lanterns. Plenty of natural light makes students feel most comfortable and also contributes to their productivity and well-being throughout the day. The engineering systems of the gym were assembled in a bright extension in the form of container blocks, which partially serve as a children’s playground,» said Dmitry Ikonnikov, Chief Architect of UNK architects.
The developer is Level Group.
