Located on a steep slope, the plot overlooks the Atibainha reservoir, a water source that belongs to the Upper Cantareira Supply System for metropolitan São Paulo. Although the area is part of a region under environmental protection, it has been totally deforested and converted into pasture.
The project for the new campus proposes approaching the occupation of the hill from the perspective of extensive reforestation, rendering architecture and landscape indissociable. The ground plan incorporates the minor topographical alterations already made, such as the dirt road and two plateaux. The programme consists of three distinct nuclei: at the foot of the hill there is the parking lot and water access; mid-slope, the school and lodgings; and on the hilltop, the crèche and leisure areas. The three levels will be connected by a cable car (ascending at a constant angle), thus keeping the hill free from traffic and avoiding heavy earthwork.
The main building, which contains the classrooms, auditorium, library and administration, takes the form of a horizontal shank, thus creating a level promenade that serves to intensify social contact. Previously imperceptible undulations make the building appear at rest upon the ground one minute, and detached or even slightly sunken the next. A small tower of lodgings adds a finishing touch to this linear volume. Placed side-by-side in this manner, the shank seems even more horizontal and the tower yet more vertical, marking the construction out against the landscape.