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Stepping forward: a school cut into the misty dry desert of Peru's coastal plain sets up a sense of place for small children, even in the most inhospitable of regions.


SCHOOL LA MOLINA La Molina is a district of the Lima Province in Peru, and one of the upscale districts that comprise the city of Lima. Officially established as a district on February 6, 1962, the current mayor (alcalde) of La Molina is Luis Dibós Vargas Prada.  PERU Peru, country, South America
Peru (pər`), Span. Perú (pār
 

ARCHITECT

COOPER GRANA grana /gra·na/ (gra´nah) dense green, chlorophyll-containing bodies in chloroplasts of plant cells.  NICOLINI

ARQUITECTOS

The Coleglo San Pedro is Pedro I (Dom Pedro de Alcântara) (pā`drō), 1798–1834, first emperor of Brazil (1822–31); son of John VI of Portugal.  an ambitious project that will eventually cater for 1000 pupils at a new settlement in La Molina in the desert coastal strip near Lima, Peru. The first phase, which will cater for children between three and seven, shows the basic strategy and sets the grain of the whole proposed development.

Taking its form from the slope of the landscape, which falls towards the north-east, the layout is dominated by classrooms, each 8m square and laid out diagonally in echelon along the slope. All face the north and the sun, and all have a shaded terrace and a little garden (usually a lawn, though they could presumably pre·sum·a·ble  
adj.
That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster.
 be cultivated as private plots by each class). Each classroom is entered from the shady south side and so a social structure is suggested by the spatial one. The ramped pedestrian street which links the classrooms debouches into a public square. This forms the first part of a pedestrian urban spine which will flow through the whole complex from north to south.

Landscaping is very thoughtful, with retaining walls and terraces cut with almost Inca sensitivity and precision into the arid ar·id  
adj.
1. Lacking moisture, especially having insufficient rainfall to support trees or woody plants: an arid climate.

2.
 slopes. The need to provide access for everyone has given wonderful opportunities for dramatic ramps and stairs. A general-purpose and staff building defines the south side of the square, the first part of the whole place. The administration block which greets you as you come into the complex from the north is rather more formal and grand, with a double-height balconied bal·co·ny  
n. pl. bal·co·nies
1. A platform that projects from the wall of a building and is surrounded by a railing, balustrade, or parapet.

2.
 hall that has a curved glass wall looking south over the pedestrian spine and its little piazzas.

This first phase of the complex bodes well for the whole, which is expected to take a decade to build.

RELATED ARTICLE: Architect

Cooper Grana Nicolini Arquitectos

Associate architect

Adolfo Chavez

Project team

Julio Caipo, Issac Sotilla, Jaime Rodriguez
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Copyright 2002, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Article Details
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Publication:The Architectural Review
Article Type:Brief Article
Geographic Code:3PERU
Date:May 1, 2002
Words:318
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