Mini-Republic school

Project idea

For the design, the team chose Location 1 - 313-B Akademika Pavlova Street (Saltivka). We decided on the manifesto "school-(mini-)republic" because we perceive school as a separate world that prepares children for the future. Our desire was to create a modern educational institution with an independent, strong system of student self-government and a student code of rules that could regulate, organize, and guide the student community on the path to becoming a conscious adult civil society in postwar Kharkiv.
We were inspired by the theme of a school as a city-polis, a miniature state, a society united by a special form of social relations on a democratic basis, where a citizen has a specific role and occupies a specific place in the public life of the polis.
Thus, during the design, the main idea was a modern interpretation of the space of the city-polis into the space of an educational institution. The volumetric spatial structure of the school is organized around a public space, which is an amphitheater around the forum. Streets diverge from the central square, formed by eight separate volumes: 5 student houses (green, yellow, orange, red, violet), a teachers' and recreation center, and a sports center. The school's facades form a closed perimeter, a symbol of the city's defense wall. The space of the forum and the streets is covered with a glass roof, which allows for insolation of the learning spaces.
The theme of social organization of student self-government is reflected in the functional structure of the space.

Project description

The school has 600 pupils and 80 teachers, and covers an area of 13068 m2.
This school, built on the principles of Plato's "just society," teaches children democracy and coexistence in a society that is radically different from the Soviet authoritarian system. Such a school should teach children how to be conscious citizens, so that in the future Kharkiv and Ukraine can have the better society we all deserve. In addition, the school should be an impetus for the renewal of Saltovka and should encourage people to return home to give their children a valuable education and understanding of how to become a good citizen in the postwar era.

Technical information

The building is constructed of a reinforced concrete frame with a column spacing of 6 x 6 metres. The facade is made of metal mesh. The interior facade is made of "houses". Made of wood

Documentation

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