The school includes several main functional zones: an entrance group with cloakrooms (separate for the junior and senior schools), an amphitheater, classrooms for the junior school, senior school, a cafeteria, a sports block, an administration, a teacher coworking space, a multifunctional hall, and a library. It was important for us to ensure a stylistic connection between these zones, which became a creative challenge for us, since they are all very different in their functional content.
We worked on this project in complex interaction with education specialists, the customer and other architects, designers, engineers. It was in this symbiosis that we managed to create the space that today helps children gain relevant knowledge in many disciplines. For example, education specialists gave clear technical specifications for equipping each classroom, the functionality of furniture and equipment, thanks to which we got transformable spaces where it is easy to organize classes of different formats (this includes mobile furniture, transformable partitions, interactive equipment, pinable surfaces, and much more). Other project participants also played an important role.
It is impossible to completely separate education and architecture; space will always influence the educational process, as if acting as a co-author of education. Whether this education will be comfortable, creative and focused on positive values depends not only on the teachers, but also on the place where the educational process is carried out.
We took a neutral color scheme as a basis: a combination of milky, light gray colors and wood textures. We carried this color scheme through all the spaces. We also paid special attention to lighting: we used various forms of light sources, but they all represent simple geometric shapes: circles, rings, dots, straight lines.
A separate pattern was drawn on the walls for the dining room and cafeteria, which is a geometric accent in this bright room.
Adjacent to the dining room is a separate culinary space – a classroom for practicing cooking skills and simply experimenting with tastes.
The design of this classroom works in the general style of gray and wood textures. In the center is a kitchen island for demonstrating the cooking process, along the perimeter is the main work area with ovens and storage. Part of the space is left free for seating guests for tastings, general lessons and other possible events.
Also in this project we were faced with the task of creating original, simple and stylish furniture. As a material we settled on plywood, as it allows to create various surfaces that are pleasant to the eye and touch. These are tabletops in the dining room, and equipment of the coworking, library, and numerous radiator screens, and storage places, and exhibition racks, and individual cabinets for wet points and bathrooms, and much more. In designing the furniture we were guided by the principle of simplicity of both form and production, as a result it turned out convenient and minimalistic.
The design of the classrooms differs depending on the functionality. The classrooms of the senior school have a strict design: gray flooring combined with felt, white and gray color scheme, calling for concentration on the information given by the teacher. Regardless of the type of classroom, we used acoustic baffles on the ceiling, experimenting with their colors.
In our opinion, simple design tools, presented in different combinations, depending on the space, became an excellent background for the creativity of Skolka students.
We haven’t forgotten about spaces for teachers and other school staff: the offices have all the advantages of a modern office, there is a conference room with an individual design, as well as a teacher’s coworking space with its own kitchen, where you can comfortably spend time between lessons, relax after classes or prepare for them.
The school’s specialized classes are designed to combine modern design, ergonomics and functionality, creating an ideal environment for in-depth study of subjects. Each classroom is equipped with advanced equipment and a well-thought-out organization of space, which allows students not only to gain theoretical knowledge, but also to immediately apply it in practice.
The chemistry room is designed as a scientific laboratory. The tables are equipped with fume hoods, digital sensors for measuring pH, temperature and electrical conductivity, as well as a set of modern microscopes. The storage area contains sealed containers for reagents and a ventilation system that ensures safety. An interactive panel with 3D models of molecules helps to visualize complex processes.
The general principle of all classes is modularity and technology. Furniture on wheels allows for quick configuration changes for group or individual projects. Such a space motivates students to explore, turning learning into an exciting process.
The multifunctional transformable hall deserves special attention, serving both as a music room and as an assembly hall for an elementary school. With the help of a transformable partition, the stage part of the hall (also known as the music room) is separated from the audience. In the design, this is emphasized by a dark tone that contrasts with the audience part of the hall. The audience part includes blitchers and a unique operator stand. The entire hall is designed primarily in a wooden texture, behind which acoustic panels are hidden. The ceiling, which has a complex streamlined shape, powerfully uniting the space, also performs an acoustic function to create a comfortable sound mode in the hall.
At the center of Skolka’s architectural concept is the main amphitheater, a large space that unites all educational areas and becomes the heart of school life. It is not just a place for meetings, but a dynamic platform for lectures, presentations, scientific shows, theater performances, and informal communication.
The Library – Resource Center – is a cozy, light space on the third tier along the amphitheater, where the traditional library format is organically combined with modern educational technologies. The space is decorated in light colors with accents of natural wood – wooden shelves with open access to books, floors and furniture elements. The charm of the interior is given by round niches on the ceiling and built-in diffused round dots that provide soft lighting for all work areas.
The corridors of the junior school create a special, intimate atmosphere, preserving the general style of the educational space, but with adaptation to the age characteristics of the children. The walls are decorated with bright art objects – paintings, carpets, students’ own drawings.
The recreation areas are organized taking into account the needs of junior schoolchildren: low poufs, modular blocks of seating islands, small shelves with children’s literature.
The junior school features wood-effect flooring, a pinable wall made of felt panels to allow students to express their creativity, and a dry erase wall to make the presentation as visual as possible.
