Villa Trente-Uno is an informal settlement in the shadow of a highway overpass, in between the upscale neighborhood of Recoleta, the port, and the bus and train terminals of Retiro. The few alleys that run through the settlement are lined with unplanned dwellings, stacked three or four levels in height. The school is sited centrally within the settlement and additionally provides a market to serve the local economy. My response to this context was to adopt the vernacular pattern of the neighboring dwellings and formalize the alleys as a part of the marketplace.
The school is split, with the secondary school to the west, the primary school to the east, and the kindergarten nested in between. Each school is composed of several buildings that reflect the scale of the settlement, and are organized around central courtyards. These courtyards can be closed off to support school functions, or opened to support a market. Emanating from the outwards, canopies stretch down the long alleys, reaching out into the community and providing a sheltered marketplace.
The structural system is adoptive from the local pattern, a reinforced concrete post-and-beam system. Panels of concrete, glass, or brick are then inlaid to enclose the volumes, which are not modular, but are similar in scale. An over passing highway bisects the informal settlement and the site. The canopies arch upward over the central marketplace, forming a heightened space underneath, and a visual presence to commuters passing on the highway.