Restore hope and confidence thanks to an innovative project.
La Esperanza school, located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is dedicated to young individuals, ages 5 to 21, with physical disabilities. Every day about 220 students are carefully followed with the aim of helping them restore autonomy and to learn how to lead an independent life.
Since 2015, therapeutic pools have also been part of the educational program, the first of their kind in the country. These were designed to give back hope to the young individuals and their parents; a concept that can be perceived by the bright, lively color of the exterior of the structure and that is also illustrated in writing on the bottom of the main pool.
The building was completed with the Emmedue Advanced Building System that allowed the conditioned space of the pools to remain at a comfortable temperature. This is thanks to the main element of the System: the Emmedue panel, one of the main features of which is thermal insulation.
The educational structure aims to promote the experience of young individuals undergoing aquatic therapy, which makes the project different from all others of similar nature. In fact, in order to underline the introspective and comfortable character of the building, for the realization of the project, curved panels were used, which generate a relaxing and welcoming sensation in the therapy area and, at the same time they give the structure the typical shape of a swimming pool.
The Emmedue curved panel is an exclusive patent of EMMEDUE S.p.A. It is produced in the factory in a flat form and arranged to be curved later on site. This allows to easily transport the product and, then, bend it manually or semi-automatically into the wanted form by using the pneumatic equipment designed by Emmedue.
The Emmedue Building System and its expanded polystyrene panels allowed the completion of the Center in a record time of 18 months. The project has been awarded by A.I.A. (the American Institute of Architects) with the Honor Award, which represents an important milestone for Emmedue, which is in the search for continuous improvement in terms of quality, services and performance.
FACTS AND FIGURES
Architects: | FUSTER + Architects |
Structural Engineer: | José Green, PE |
Client: | San Juan City Council |
Year of the project: | 2015 |
Area: | 1,350 sqft. |
Building materials: | M2 / GCT panels, concrete |
| metal structure |
Awards: | Honor Award from the AIA |