Maladiére School, CH-Neuchâtel
The project for the new Maladière Elementary School is located in the park of the former Mail Cemetery and includes classrooms for elementary and preschool students, as well as a gymnasium. The new building will replace the existing school building on Rue de la Maladière.
The new structure blends seamlessly into the park’s design concept. The building’s positioning prevents the park from being divided into two parts; at the same time, the park’s current sense of spaciousness will remain visually apparent and tangible. The architectural intervention enhances the park as a whole.
The required space allocation is divided into two sections: The first includes the most important publicly accessible spaces — the gym, the multipurpose room, and the custodian’s apartment. The second section is designed as a compact structure located above the first and houses the classrooms as well as the rooms for the preschool program.
The workshops and the dining hall are located below the pedestrian walkway yet remain directly connected to the outdoor space. The dining hall can be used as a multifunctional space: as a lounge at lunchtime or, during conferences and other events, as the foyer to the multipurpose room. The theme of the walking path is carried into the interior of the building through ramps. These create visual connections between the classrooms and the public park.
