Committed to rescuing the values ​​of the iconic Sacré-Coeur building in São Paulo, and, while respecting its history, giving it a new format suited to the needs of the contemporary world in line with the latest in terms of solutions and technologies – this time, with a special focus on education.

Escola Concept works with innovative teaching methods and focuses on what the future of education for children and adolescents should be. At the same time, it is surrounded by the iconic building from the 1930s – expanded between 1940 and 1960 – with a façade listed as an architectural landmark and, over the years, very present in the memory of several generations of São Paulo citizens.

The balance between innovation and historical preservation was balanced in the proposal through the revitalization of the existing structures combined with the insertion of new programs using sustainable and qualified materials. One of the great highlights is the outdoor area, a large and fully preserved park full of leafy trees and lush vegetation.

In the architectural proposal, the outdoor area is covered by a marquee made of CLT – certified high-tech wood still in the experimental phase in Brazil – which, while acting as a link between the blocks arranged on the school’s 18,000 square meters of land, also establishes a link between history and contemporaneity in civil engineering and presents a conscious and innovative idea. In addition, the organic design of the structure permeates the space’s vegetation in order to incorporate the existing trees, another consideration that was quite latent in the project.

As with the marquee, all the new interventions were made of wood, and frames, doors and floors were recovered from the original structures, taking into account scientific studies on the benefits of interacting with this material in terms of concentration, calm and higher levels of learning in children and adolescents.

Two multi-sports courts are part of the program: one made entirely of wood, and the other with a retractable roof, another example of technological updating – in addition to integration with the green areas, this feature makes the space even more dynamic and multifunctional.

The classrooms are designed in a modular layout, also in line with new teaching methods, and provide space for different types of classes and classroom interactions. Using pivoting doors and easy-to-move furniture, they allow for the expansion and different articulation of spaces for specific activities and horizontal methods of social interaction. The glass panels next to the hallway doors are another option for enriching learning, as they become an ideal surface for the free exercise of creativity.

The library, which is quite spacious, organizes books and activity materials on shelves accessible to children, supported by supporting furniture. The chapel, in turn, was converted into an auditorium and a 40-meter-high tower that has been completely preserved to be used as an exhibition platform.