References

The former San Agustín Convent in Badajoz in southwest Spain has served many purposes – as a barracks, a courthouse and a school – since it lost its religious role back in 1855. Prior to this, too, the convent had played a vital part in the economic and social life of the city, which lies close to the Portuguese border.

The conversion of the listed building to its latest use as a school of arts and crafts has entailed long and extensive planning. The project, which has been conducted by architects Javier Lasheras, Rafael Guridi and Cristina Tartás under a collaboration between AT Sympro Services & Projects and Guridi+Tartás Arquitectos, has seen the original architecture, its materials and its surfaces both carefully restored and discerningly modified to meet the new needs and demands.

The work has been focused on the main courtyard area and its four sides, two of whose facades are embellished with double oriel windows, the staircase with its domed roof (known historically as the ‘Royal Stairs’), the forecourts on Calle Chapín and the smaller courtyard area. The premises will in future accommodate Badajoz’s Adelardo Covarsí School of Arts & Crafts, which is presently located elsewhere in the city.

The overall structure of the building is strongly linear, with large spaces separated by load-bearing walls. This structure has been retained by creating linear classroom areas directly on the polished concrete floor and separating these with dividing walls that can be adjusted to meet future spatial needs without major structural modifications. The principle of modular spatial division which retains the building’s strong overall lines has been consistently pursued throughout the project, since flexible utilization of the space available is essential to achieving both the efficiency and the sustainability desired.

The large and spacious former convent is ideal for its new educational use – with a few exceptions, such as accessibility and installations. To tackle these issues, a new annex has been built in the courtyard on Calle Chapín. These combined actions – the work on the historic edifice and the provision of the new annex – enable the present infrastructure such as the sanitary systems, the elevator or the stairs to be modified in this historic building without changing its features and its character, and allow it to be revitalized by bringing it back into the city’s facilities. After all, the best way to preserve such a historic monument is to ensure its continued use.

Griesser venetian blinds for perfect solar shading

Solar shading has also had a key role to play in the convent refurbishment project. Of the cloisters surrounding the building’s two courtyards, the one around the main courtyard has been integrated into the new school’s facilities. To assimilate it fully into the school and its activities, this cloister has been equipped with windows that provide the arcade inside with natural light. The cloister’s rounded outer arches required a tailored solution, though, in solar shading terms. And the choice here fell on Griesser’s quality products, in the form of its Solomatic® 80 venetian blinds.

With its self-supporting construction and its classic design, this Griesser solar shading product fits perfectly into the historic surrounds. The choice of product color – a discreet RAL 7022 Umbra Grey – further underscores the project’s strong design credentials.

Control of the blinds is automated to ensure ideal daylight management. The natural light can be regulated precisely to provide a pleasant indoor environment that optimizes both the comfort and the concentration of the students using the premises, which in turn should maximize their benefit from their studies.