A perpendicular system, with a covered veranda as a base, structures the set of units. The veranda is the point of reference for the routes between the different units, offering a protected yet open atmosphere that takes advantage of the local climatic conditions. At the same time, it establishes good sightlines throughout the school complex.

Abutting the veranda are the teaching buildings, the administrative and sports units and the custodian’s house, arranged as functionally differentiated building elements.

The various teaching areas have different spatial arrangements and are distributed in such a way that the noisier places, such as the workshops, the cafeteria or the sports area, are separated from the classroom areas and library.

Landscaped surfaces can be found on both sides of the veranda: there are Canary palm trees planted between the units and different native species of Canary flora in the gardens. The idea was to design a “nature classroom” along the pupils’ daily routes, thus fostering their environmental awareness.

Project

El Galeón Secondary School

Situation

Urbanización El Galeón. Adeje. Tenerife. Canary Islands. Spain

Architects

gpy arquitectos

Project Team

Juan Antonio González Pérez, Félix Francisco Perera Pérez, Urbano Yanes Tuña, Carolina Rivero González

Technical Team

Javier Elejabeitia

Civil Engineers

Gpi Ingenieros

Technical Drawings

Miriam Hernández Pérez

Client

Canary Islands Regional Government: Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports

Contract

Pefersan

Constructed Surface

5,873.54 m2

Models

José Luis González Doña

Photographs

José Ramón Oller

Awards

Premio de Arquitectura de Canarias Manuel de Oráa y Arcocha, XIth Edition, 2004: Selected

Publications

Book: Ruiz Cabrero, Gabriel: Guía de Arquitectura Contemporánea / Contemporary Architecture Guide 1962-2006. Tenerife. Tenerife: Cabildo Insular de Tenerife, 2008

← Back to Slideshow