INTER/PLAY

ARIMUNANI SCHOOL CANOPY: A Simple, Flexible Connection with Nature

The project responds directly to a fundamental question the school encourages all students to consider: “What can we live without?” At its core, the design centers on fostering a direct, meaningful connection with nature through a versatile wooden canopy that shelters a collection of multifunctional spaces adaptable to the evolving needs of its users.
Designed to operate across multiple scales and phases, the proposal not only enhances the school’s functionality but also enriches its connection with the surrounding community and environment. The brief was straightforward: to create a wooden canopy adjacent to the existing Arimunani School in Mallorca, primarily supporting outdoor educational activities while emphasizing sustainable and locally sensitive construction methods.

Understanding what makes a building truly successful guided the entire process. The design approach interweaves context, use, environmental strategy, and structure into a cohesive whole—acknowledging that none of these elements can be addressed in isolation.

The process began with a deep study of the project’s context, exploring construction practices with wood both in Mallorca and Galicia, and assessing the challenges and opportunities presented by wood as a primary building material on a macro scale.

Located on a flat plot near the existing school and surrounded by low-rise homes, the site benefits from diverse landscape typologies and vegetation that inform comfort strategies and provide appropriate outdoor settings for school activities.

Three core strategies define the concept development:

Phased growth that follows the existing school building’s rhythm and budget constraints, allowing future expansion.
Integration of the new canopy through new connections linking the existing school, public outdoor spaces, and the extension.
A construction approach aligned with Mallorca’s local timber industry, balancing imported structural wood with locally sourced materials for smaller elements and carpentry.
Structurally, the design respects the natural properties of wood, creating dialogue between elements. The main structure consists of four 20x20 cm timber columns supporting transverse roof beams, which rest on longitudinal beams. Secondary structural elements adjust rhythm to accommodate different uses, stabilizing the main frame with coordinated beams and pillars while keeping the system simple, flexible, and informed by passive design and building services strategies.
The southern façade is treated distinctively, incorporating solar protection alongside an extended roof overhang, which also houses mechanical equipment. A sloped roof and structural alignment allow rainwater to drain naturally into the ground via a Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS), while strategically placed vegetation shields from wind and sun, facilitating natural cross ventilation.

Internally, compact spaces clearly differentiate comfort levels, responding to varying needs within the building. This integrated approach—where context, program, structure, nature, and the challenges of wood as a material merge—creates a coherent architectural vision that underscores how design must be tackled holistically.

The canopy itself serves as a protective refuge for diverse activities in any weather. Interior modules provide additional sheltered spaces for more comfort-demanding uses. The structural simplicity enables phased construction, supporting growth aligned with the school’s evolving resources.

Overall, this project offers a shared framework for shelter, connection to nature, social gathering, and dialogue with the outdoors—a true architectural response where all elements coexist harmoniously.