“Educan is an experiment that demonstrates that agricultural architectures, usually considered lesser within the discipline itself, can also be places of exploration and innovation”. Through these words Enrique Espinosa from Eeestudio and Lys Villalba explain their approach to the design of a training school for dogs near Madrid.
Educan’s photographs provide the image of an eye-catching contemporary architecture, a well-balanced combination of substractions – constructions materials, such as exposed concrete and sheer metal panels, are and look “poor”, pipes are left in plain sight – and additions – the pleasant and bright nuances differentiating each surface, curtains and thin metals profiles enriching the different rooms.
The building’s conception proves to be clever also on a technical and technological plan: several components are recycled, standardized and industrially produced elements add to others that are customized, active and passive sustainability strategies work together.
Educan’s most interesting aspects, thought, are the qualities that make it truly adapted to its animal inhabitants: from its flooring materials – synthetic turf and semi-polished aggregate concrete made of river pebbles – to the several devices that improve the diversity of its “ecosystem” – facades can host birds nests, and rainwater is collected in troughs for both dogs and birds.
To conclude, a praise to the authors, that succeeded in outlining a poetic and evocative narration of an environment described from the perspective of the dog, its main user: “The average eye height drops from over a metre and a half, to just half a metre (…) and spoken word turns bark”.
- Project:
- "Educan"
- Program:
- training school for dogs, humans and other species
- Location:
- Brunete, Madrid, Spain
- Architects:
- Enrique Espinosa (Eeestudio) and Lys Villalba.
- Design team:
- Maria Paola Marciano, Irene Domínguez
- Construction company:
- Servicios Integrales Alji, Construcciones Metálicas Miguel Torrejón
- Building engineer:
- Javier Reñones Marín
- Structural engineers:
- Mecanismo
- Building service engineer:
- Alberto Espinosa
- Technical consultant:
- Jorge López Hidalgo
- Client:
- Adiestramento Educan
- Area:
- 300 sqm
- Completion:
- 2020