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Jan 01, 2024

TAKUAPÍ Covered School Patio / MASS Arquitectos

+ 24 Text description provided by the architects. This project is part of a long

+ 24

Text description provided by the architects. This project is part of a long process of research and experiences on the constructive possibilities offered by wood, seeking interesting spatial results, structurally efficient, environmentally friendly, and economically viable.

The history of the place intertwines cultures of immigrants and indigenous peoples and from the beginning, the traditional building material was wood, initially native, and today mostly foreign implanted species. Despite having a strong presence of forest-industrial activity, we note that the use of wood is underestimated in larger-scale projects.

In Ruiz de Montoya, there are 16 communities of Mbya Guaraní indigenous peoples, "Takuapí" is one of the oldest in the area. Its school "Intercultural Bilingual School Takuapí" did not have a space for multiple uses and there the proposal for the "Covered Schoolyard" arises, where we had the possibility of developing and materializing several of the concepts of our research work.

From the project stage, as a general vision, we were aware of the care of economic resources, mainly in these aspects: The use of wood with the least possible machining, steel (largely recycled) with a rational use and no abuse of it, construction methods and systems according to the local human resource, the tools and equipment were specifically designed and manufactured to facilitate assembly and installation, dispensing with sophisticated and expensive equipment.

The envelope is basically made up of 4 parts:

The concrete stems (bases) elevate the supports, avoiding contact with the moisture of the ground, a characteristic in this area.

The supports appear as a "spatial lattice" of logs and tensioners, with a disposition such that the wooden elements are located towards the interior, protected from the elements, and the metal ones towards the exterior, closing the system.

The laminated wooden arches in situ, which support the entire cover, have a curvature radius that responds to a tight balance between the elastic limits of the wood and the adopted sections, this made it possible to join the straight slopes with a curve obtaining a continuous spatial envelope.

The metal "joints" designed specifically for this system, facilitate the connection between all the parts in a simple and safe way, adapting to different angular situations, without the need to cut the logs and/or connection elements at complex angles.