Domum School | Lins Arquitetos Associados

Architecture, Schools

Domum School is located in the city of Juazeiro do Norte, south of the state of Ceará. It is a school that covers everything from pre-school to high school. The program consists of classrooms, a library, a laboratory, multipurpose rooms, a canteen, a court, an auditorium, and common areas, in addition to the administrative and service sectors. The 3,700.00m² building was located on a corner site with large fronts facing north and west. The implementation was carried out on the outskirts of the site, thus protecting the western facade and providing shade for the interior of the school, where all the students’ recreation and leisure takes place. The classrooms face east and north, and the sports court faces west but is protected by a metal roof.

The school is basically spread over three floors. The ground floor, the arrival, includes the main access with the integration square, the auditorium, the administrative sector and the parking lot. The first floor has the canteen, sports court, classrooms and children’s section. The second floor, also educational, has classrooms, a library and laboratories. This pavement was only partially executed, with the decision being made to execute the remaining program in a future expansion. The four-meter slope was overcome between the arrival level and the first floor through ramps and stairs distributed across several plateaus, forming a central leisure courtyard for students. This courtyard, which has an irregular shape, is the heart of the school and includes, in addition to a view of the entire space, a small amphitheater for student presentations. Because it has an unusual shape, very smooth ramps, and stairs, it also ends up being a place for children to play and discover.

Thermal comfort was one of the main guidelines of the project and for this purpose, a large protection with metal tiles was used on the west facade where the sports court is located. Metallic hollow elements in the circulation areas and concrete cobogós on the roof of the classroom gardens in the children’s sector filter the sunlight, alleviating the intense heat in the region. Light trays are present in classrooms and bring natural lighting into the classrooms. Finally, the school has a direct relationship with the street, having been surrounded only by a metal fence, thus preserving visual and wind permeability, making it a very inviting space for parents and students.