Energia School built in New Moscow is integrated into the infrastructure of a large residential complex in such a way that half of it can be freely used by all residents, not just the school students. The developers preserved the old oak trees, neatly fitting the building between the century-old trees. The school concept is aimed at combining creativity and science, and only middle and high school students study here.
Architectural Concept: EdDesign LLC
Project Investor: A101 Group of Companies
Area: 19,300 m²
Capacity: 1,325 students
Launch Date: September 2022
Project Concept
The school was envisioned as a general education school with enhanced education in science and emphasis on practicums. For this purpose, a large scientific block of 1,000 m2 has been designed in the building, which includes a prototyping center and technological workshops. Only middle and high school children study here. Juliya Chernets, head of A101 social infrastructure construction projects, says that Energia is made as a public building, where social areas are comfortably separated from classrooms.
Photo: Roman Shelomentsev
Location and Navigation
Energia is a “street-forming” building, says Juliya Chernets. The school is visible from all sides. Before construction, the company pre-calculated the accessibility and convenience of pedestrian routes from all the houses. Most residents of New Moscow are families with children, for whom the school will be a point of attraction, believes Chernets.
Photo: Roman Shelomentsev
Most Russian schools are enclosed by blind fences, says Anton Shamray, architect at EdDesign. However, Energia School only has half a fence. The main courtyard and part of the school playgrounds are available to residents. This feature makes Energia very welcoming. The open area of the school is combined with the central square of the district, where city festivals can be held.
Some playgrounds can be accessed at any time, while street sports grounds can be accessed only after school when they are not occupied by school children. These grounds are enclosed by a fence that provides a huge gate. Access to them is determined by the school management. The area is equipped with a video surveillance system for safety. “The neighborhood is integrated into the school, and the school is integrated into the neighborhood,” summarizes Juliya Chernets.
Preserving the Grove
Energia is built on the grounds of an old oak grove. To preserve the 16 oak trees, the blocks were “shifted” in the design. At one point, the building even wraps around a tree in a semicircle. Thanks to the oak trees and additional planting, the area around Energia looks like a park. Park furniture has been put in the schoolyard, and in the warm season you can go there from the dining hall and eat in the open air.
Photo: Roman Shelomentsev
Appearance and Interiors
The facade of Energia is finished with beige stucco and brick-look panels, and partially with yellow metal panels. The main colors inside the building are white, red, and grey.
“The customer set out to create a non-monotonous design, so all the spaces within the school are architecturally different. There are no typical corridors, somewhere they become a recreation, somewhere they open out into a gallery above the foyer, somewhere there are sliding partitions and you can open them up completely into the corridor. That’s how the play rooms are set up,” says Anton Shamray.
The interiors turned out to be economically feasible, but did not lose their individuality, notes Anton. The architects needed to formalize the established interior space, to emphasize or highlight volumes. For this purpose, we took glass magnesium panels of three colors: white, grey and red. Other materials could have been used, but the glass magnesium panels were chosen for their anti-vandalism and economy, explains Shamray. If repaired, the damaged area can be disassembled in a few hours, the panels can be replaced and reassembled.
Photo: Roman Shelomentsev
In the classrooms, the ceilings are lined with mineral compressed wool slabs, which improves the acoustics of the room, and in the foyer, laboratories and workshops – with metal Grilyato grids.
Light
There is a lot of light in the school due to large windows, stained glass walls in the corridors and staircases: the building “shines through” from the street through several rooms. Transparent walls in the classrooms and workshops should also encourage students’ curiosity for practical classes.
Photo: Roman Shelomentsev
Zoning and Equipment
The school is a three-floored building. Model all-purpose classrooms are distributed throughout the school. There are classrooms (about 80 m2) for standard classes, where desks can be arranged in different ways. Smaller classrooms (about 30 m2) for individual lessons are also thoughtfully designed. Juliya Chernets notes that now there is a frequent request for such small classrooms for schools under construction.
The architects also had the task of zoning the rooms by function – science, sports, IT, creativity – so that the classrooms would have an interdisciplinary nexus.
One wing housed an IT polygon and a media laboratory. The other wing was provided for art and cooking classes. In the third wing there is a scientific block with the area of about 1,000 m2: classrooms and laboratories for physics, chemistry and biology, robotics, technology room with laser CNC machines and 3D printers (the equipment was purchased at the level of the technical school). There is a gym hall above the science block.
Photo: Roman Shelomentsev
A separate entrance leads to it. The gym hall is one of the largest school gyms in Moscow and has already hosted many city and district competitions. “Everyone aspires to go there,” says Juliya Chernets. The sports block occupies about 1,400 m2 and can accommodate six classes at the same time. The space is divided into three halls (two of 530 m2 and one of 300 m2). Thanks to sliding curtains, the halls can be zoned according to different types of activities and age groups of students. The block is equipped with transformable stands and professional equipment for 30 sports (of these there is gymnastics, acrobatics, basketball, floorball, etc.). Another area for sports (for 1,000 m2) with soccer and basketball fields, a running stadium and exercise equipment is outside.
Since Energia has only middle and high school children who need more computer science than younger students, A101 retrofitted the school’s four classrooms with more powerful computers and IT equipment. In addition, the company purchased musical instruments and equipment for the media classroom at the school’s request. Classes of this type are increasingly appearing in Moscow schools, and Energia is developing this direction.
The multifunctional amphitheater for 626 seats is equipped with a diode screen and can be used as a conference hall, theater space, assembly hall or movie theater. The professional equipment for the stage (sound, light) was purchased. The assembly hall and science block with workshops can accommodate the streams of students from outside for additional education or inter-school activities.
Open Cloakroom and Two-Story Canteen
The school has an unusually organized canteen; it is housed on two floors. The main area with serving and tables is in the first floor of the lobby, and it looks like a mall food court. On the second floor there is a cafeteria where students can gather after school. This arrangement reduces the building footprint, saves space (the canteen is often empty) and increases dining seats. And for events, the tables can be removed.
The school has also an open cloakroom – clothing racks have been put in the foyer. The foyer itself is white, and the cloakroom is integrated into it by a separate red volume.
Photo: Roman Shelomentsev
May 2024
