Abstract:

This paper aims to emphasise the importance of the quality of physical spaces in the academic context and in learning in general, arguing that the architecture of the school or educational institution, regardless of the level, is one of the keys to successful learning and wellbeing within the academic community. Using the example of the schools designed by the Portuguese architect Manuel Tainha (1922-2012), we will demonstrate how architectural design was one of the keys to the flourishing of the educational educational project of those institutions.

Through the projects he developed throughout his career, we will show how the architect's thinking and his unique way of looking at architecture were fundamental to each building being an individual response to the educational proposal that gave rise to it, without forgetting the necessary and expected evolution of teaching methods and practices. In all the projects, the success factor of the buildings, many of them home to different levels of education over the years, was the commitment to promoting a space where teachers and students felt welcomed and integrated, while adapting to new technologies and curricula, which distinguished them nationally and internationally as a case study.

Using the examples of the Agroindustrial School in Grândola (now the António Inácio da Cruz Secondary School), the Évora Agricultural Regents School, Évora (now the Mitra Centre of the University of Évora), the Olivais Velho Secondary School, Lisbon (now the António Damásio Secondary School), the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University City, Lisbon (Valmor and Municipal Architecture Prize in 1991), the Tomar Higher Institute of Technology, Tomar, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra, not forgetting the upgrades of schools in Évora and Lisbon designed by the architect, we will argue that the design strategies, interconnection of spaces and choice of materials have contributed to a better school experience for the academic community, an enhanced taste, respect and pride in the school space that has brought together the consensus of teachers and students over the years. Even today, the architectural project serves as a stage for teachers, students and staff to find a second home in each of these buildings.

In the context of the national territory, these educational establishments were both an important centre of urban expansion and an example of architecture designed in conjunction with the particularities of the place, the time and the educational challenges ahead; without forgetting the seminal connection with nature, the pre-existing buildings, the lines of expansion and the integration with the local culture.

Keywords:

Architecture, School Buildings, Manuel Tainha, learning environment.