Arcena – Vila Franca de Xira
Concepsys developed a project for a nursery school, kindergarten and Leisure Activities Centre in a building with about 3000 m2, distributed over 2 floors and six wings, for the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira.
This project resulted from the response to a program defined by PROQUAL, with some programmatic adaptations imposed by the promoter. The program was also adapted to the actual conditions of the proposed plot, in order to optimize its spatial and formal organization.
The project is located in the aerial protection corridor of Portela airport and is subject to serious constraints in terms of building heights. In this way, it is integrated into a garden from the ground level downwards, establishing its entrance at the upper level of the building.
This houses different services related to youth and childhood, namely, nursery school, kindergarten and Leisure Activities Centre. Their versatility and variety of functions meant that they had to comply simultaneously with different regulations, with greater emphasis on those related to educational establishments and the area of social action.
Thus, the building is clearly organized into three differentiated nuclei on the first floor. Centralized entrance encompassing the administrative services, vertical accesses and the reception/attendance area. On one side of the central body the nursery and kindergarten area and on the other side the Leisure Activities Centre activity rooms and their specific training rooms.
At the outdoor spaces, there was also a concern to create different playgrounds according to the age of the children.
Thus, the idealized distribution for the building results in functional and formal clarity, guaranteeing the centralization of all the spaces and providing some control over a large structure.
The work, which represents an investment of 1,867,227.07, was built as part of the PROQUAL program and inaugurated on 16 December 2006 by Mrs. Mme. Mayor of Vila-Franca de Xira, Dra. Maria da Luz Rosinha and by Mr. Minister of Labor and Social Solidarity, Dr. José Vieira da Silva. In that session the work was pointed out as an example to follow, not only for its architectural quality, but also for the compliance with the initially foreseen budget.
