Based on a specific demand to build several schools in Angola, in a process of reorganization of the educational institutions in the country, the project was conceived as an extendable modular structure, flexible to adapt to different terrains.

These buildings can hold from 14 to 50 classrooms, from pre-school to high school [approx. 6 to 17], with science labs, library, video and computer rooms. The administration will be composed of a secretary, a teacher’s room, a meeting room, a coordinator’s room and a principal’s room. In the common areas there will be a canteen and cafeteria, sports courts, changing rooms, and a playground, which is divided into indoor and outdoor areas.

The need to transport all the material results in the strategy of “assembling” the work and in the industrialization of this construction. The parts, then, are sized to suit the maritime transport.

The industrialization reduces the construction time, and consequently generates cost savings. We opted for the wood structure due to the large experience acquired with São Paulo engineering. The structure is prefabricated, the parts arrive at the site finished and numbered for assembly, and its fittings and fixings are all metallic.
The wooden structure comes from reforestation or sustainable management, and the wood used is certified.

The structure will be in laminated wood, where you can work with pieces of small sections of wood, glued and pressed.

The construction of the school on one floor is possible due to the availability of large plots of land, generating a reduction in point loads and simplifying the foundations and the structure.

Indoor multi-sports courts require large structural spans. The use of catenary wood structure assumes the deformations of the material, providing savings due to the small size of the necessary parts, resulting in spans of 28.8m.

The classrooms are enclosed in rigid panels, providing adequate acoustic insulation between the environments. The wooden roof is independent from the ceiling of the classrooms, which have a light, but insulating, lining. Essa operação fará com que o calor incidente na cobertura seja dissipado pela ventilação cruzada acima do forro, garantindo temperaturas constantes e adequadas dentro das salas de aula e demais ambientes. O edifício assim prescinde de equipamentos mecânicos de ventilação.

The large eaves and the lateral flaps protect these environments from the direct incidence of sunlight through the lateral facade, ensuring natural ventilation on rainy days.

The project contemplates large openings to this façade, allowing the rooms to have natural lighting all day long.