Work submitted for the competition
"Best Diploma Architecture"
The study concerns an elementary school for people with moderate and severe disabilities in Lublin, together with the development of the site. The guiding idea of the project was to provide students with a friendly learning environment by adapting it to their needs and cognitive skills. Each of the spaces used by students with special educational needs must be functional, accessible and safe for the audience - so color contrasts were used, wide circulation paths were used, and nooks and crannies were leveled. Natural, non-toxic materials were used for construction and finishing. The main structure consists of columns and floor slabs made of CLT wood.
elevations
© Joanna Nurzynska
The premise of the facility covers about 1.98 hectares, consisting of the school building, the entrance and parking area, the school fields, and the green area with casual alleys and educational paths. Each part of the establishment, is separated from each other by a fence and gates, which increases the safety of students and allows free use of the space. Students with disabilities often require movement by wheeled vehicles, so the parking zone is extremely important. In addition to spaces for school staff, there are parking bays for school buses and children's caretaker cars. Circular communication is separated from pedestrian communication by color and material, no height differences in pavement were used. All floors allow wheelchairs and people with limited mobility to move around. The entrance area includes a wide promenade leading to the main gate, shaded by small architecture, a playground and a bicycle parking area, along with seating.
landscaping
© Joanna Nurzyńska
In the northern part of the plot is an outdoor playground area accessible from both the entrance, green and school zones. In addition to the two outdoor fields - a paved multipurpose field and a grass field - there is also a playground with equipment for people with disabilities, including special swings. The vegetation cover of the green zone consists of trees found on the plot, as well as medium and low vegetation, non-poisonous and non-prickly species. Among the trees there are free paths, a path and educational glades.
main entrance
© Joanna Nurzyńska
In the central part of the plot there is a one-story educational facility, in the southern part a two-story facility with a partial basement. The lump of the building was created from children's simple ideas of a building - a house usually consists of a rectangle forming the walls and a triangular roof, kept in cheerful colors. To move away from the image of the school as a gray rectangle and closer to the image of a house, the facility consists of multicolored objects with wooden cladding.
interior, main hall
© Joanna Nurzyńska
The interior of the building is divided into distinct parts that differ in color. The main zone is the entrance space, which includes a reception area, an open checkroom and the main staircase. The building is further illuminated by two interior courtyards.
first floor and 1st floor plan
© Joanna Nurzyńska
Through different-colored gates one can get to the next zones - educational, sports and therapeutic. In the educational facility, in addition to rooms designed for general schools, such as a canteen with facilities, a common room, a teachers' room and an administrative zone, there are sensory rooms, quiet rooms, revalidation rooms, and in the sports zone hydrotherapy facilities are located - a swimming pool and baths with facilities.
interior, hallway
© Joanna Nurzyńska
Each of the rooms is characterized by high accessibility - widths of passageways are guaranteed to allow wheelchairs to turn around and pass other students. The color scheme is tailored to the needs of the users - the soothing brown of the wood contrasts with the multicolored walls and carpets. To make it easier to move around the facility, guide panels with gouges are designed on the walls.
Joanna NURZYÑSKA
Illustrations: © Author
