El Til·ler School

A new Mediterranean Waldorf-Steiner School

Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
Prize winner in the awards FAD, Design Educates, Mostra d'Arquitectura del Vallès, A+ and Catalunya Construcció

A Mediterranean expression of Waldorf pedagogy

The El Til·ler -Linden Tree- School embodies a contemporary expression of the Waldorf-Steiner pedagogy adapted to the Mediterranean. Thus, life in the garden is maximized and there are no interior corridors. Each classroom is like a small house, with direct access from the garden. The space that is usually occupied by inner corridors is given to the classrooms, thus providing much needed additional learning space.

Recycling a garden and five buildings

The El Til·ler - Linden Tree- School is carefully inserted into a large, mature and abandoned private garden, in the garden suburb of Bellaterra, close to Barcelona. The complex is articulated along the existing main access path, which becomes a “rambla” -the Mediterranean name for high street- that ends at a square which opens to the landscape. Five of the six buildings that make up the school are existing modular pavilions of wood and steel which come from two other sites previously occupied by the school. These buildings are disassembled, transported and precisely reconfigured at the new site, adapting to the topography, existing vegetation, sun exposure and views. The sixth building, which is presented here, houses the kindergarten and the common spaces.

Sequences, horizons, light
Urban design as an expression of pedagogy

The school proposes a contemporary spatial expression of the Waldorf-Steiner pedagogy adapted to a Mediterranean climate. Thus, there are no interior corridors, and access to the classroom follows a gradual exterior spatial sequence: rambla – courtyard – porch - receiving hall - classroom. The horizons -the views- expand as the child grows, and the rotation of the classrooms on the topography gives them varying light qualities, both in intensity and color. Sequences, horizons and light personalize each classroom, emphasizing and accompanying the experience of growing up and learning.

New kindergarten & common spaces building

The new building houses the common spaces of the school (eurythmics hall, library, administration) at the ground floor, directly accessible from the rambla. The kindergarten is located at the upper floor, with direct access from its playground.
Eurhythimcs (or “good rhythm”) is an introspective combination of dance and music which is specific to Waldorf pedagogy and which requires a space similar to that of a large, column-free, multi-purpose hall. In order to make it possible to place the kindergarten classrooms on top of the necessarily column-free eurythmics hall, the building concentrates the vertical structure at the facades in the shape of thick buttresses. Therefore, there are no columns inside the building, making it possible to completely rearrange the interior at any time in the future.

Alcoves and frames
Architecture as an expression of pedagogy

The spaces between the structural buttresses at the facades become alcoves at the scale of children, shaped according to the functional and pedagogical needs of each space. On the outside, the alcoves are contained within frames that order the facades and visually reduce the scale of the building, bringing it closer to that of children.

All kindergarten classrooms are directly accessed from the garden

Located at the upper level of the new building, the kindergarten is accessed directly from the playground and garden. Only one level storey of the building appears, thus visually reducing the scale of the building to one closer to that of small children. Each classroom has direct access from the outside via a bridge which doubles as a space for outdoors activities.

The “Seasonal Table”, a unique feature of Waldorf pedagogy, articulates the kindergarten classrooms

The “Seasonal Table”, the most unique spatial element of the Waldorf-Steiner pedagogy, organizes the new kindergarten classrooms. This small “altar”, where the cycles of nature are explained, is placed focally, within an alcove that provides a specific natural light -lateral, reflected and diffuse. At one side of the Seasonal Table, there’s the work area, with an alcove that features a higher window in order to foster concentration. At the other side, the free play area, with an alcove that contains a low window and bench, at the height of children.

The building is sustainable, energy-efficient and cost-effective

The facades are entirely made of wood, the only material that is not only recyclable but renewable. The wood-fiber thermal insulation of the facade panels and the inertia of the massive concrete structure almost completely eliminate the need for heating in winter, affording a high energy efficiency. Comfort during the rest of the year is achieved thanks to the ventilated facades, the natural cross-ventilation and the external aluminium store blinds. The volumetric compactness, the prefabrication of both structure and facades, along with the exposure of the construction materials without claddings, have afforded a high-quality building within a tight budget.

A more detailed account of the El Til·ler School, including the pedagogical aspects and the landscape design strategy, can be found in the book about the design of the school (click on image to view the book):

Project name

El Til·ler Waldorf-Steiner School

Location

Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), Barcelona, Spain

Client

Fundació per a l’Art d’Educar de Rudolf Steiner

Year

2016-18

Status

Completed

Program

Educational

School with kindergarten, Primary and Secondary Education, including Pre-University courses (Batxillerat)

Gross built area: 1.975m2

Author

Eduard Balcells Architecture+Urbanism+Landscape
Ignasi Rius, Daniel Tigges, architects

Collaborators

Design development

Manel Romero, Elisabeth Terrisse, architects

Structural engineering

Bernuz-Fernández

Agronomical engineer & Landscape consultant

Factors de Paisatge - Manuel Colominas

Mechanical engineering

Progetic

Quantity surveyor

Egaractiva

General contractor

Maheco

Wooden facade construction

Macusa

Photography

Adrià Goula
www.adriagoula.com/ @adriagoulaphoto