OVA crowns school in Prague with rooftop play areas and vegetable gardens

Czech architecture studio Opočenský Valouch Architects has completed Vida Elementary School on the outskirts of Prague, topping its red-brick volumes with a terrace of teaching spaces, play areas and vegetable gardens.

Located in the town of Chýně in Prague-West District, the three-storey building comprises an elementary school and a sports complex with indoor and outdoor courts, a football pitch and an athletics track.

Opočenský Valouch Architects (OVA) designed Vida Elementary School with a ground-floor plinth of exposed concrete that sits partially within its sloping green site.

Its upper storeys are clad in red brick and topped by two corrugated metal classroom pavilions that overlook rooftop play areas and gardens.

"The elongated, sloping site lies near the centre of Chýně, a rapidly growing municipality close to Prague," said Opočenský Valouch Architects (OVA).

"Significant residential development is expected in the surrounding area," OVA continued. "For some time, the new school may stand alone on the field at the edge of the locality, but eventually it will become an integral part of the built structure of the town."

Vida Elementary School comprises two rectilinear blocks. They are offset to make room for an entrance courtyard to the north, sheltered by a ring-shaped canopy, and a more private playground courtyard to the south.

According to OVA, this division was also used to help the school operate in two "modes" – one for everyday teaching requirements, and the other for extracurricular and public activities in the afternoons and at weekends.

"The school's shared spaces – both interior and exterior – play an equally important role in the learning process as traditional classrooms," said OVA.

"The entrance courtyard serves pupils, visitors to afternoon programs, and the general public. It includes lounging platforms for teenagers and sports surfaces for younger pupils," it added. "The second courtyard features outdoor dining tables extending the canteen's capacity. It also provides space for play during recesses and leisure between afternoon activities."

In the northern block, the majority of the classrooms are organised around a full-height atrium. On the ground floor, amphitheatre-style timber seating provides a space for larger gatherings, while study and rest nooks line the balconies above.

To the south, the indoor sports court sits above a canteen that spills out onto the private courtyard and playground. Stepped seating overlooking this courtyard leads up to the outdoor court, which sits at one end of the football pitch and running track.

Along the western edge of this sports field, the roof of a narrow facilities building has been used to create an area of grandstand-style seating.

The exposed concrete finish of the school's base is echoed internally by the walls and columns of the atrium and the roof of the sports hall, contrasted by pastel coloured changing areas and timber-lined classrooms.

Elsewhere in the Czech Republic, Atelier 6 recently completed Frič Brothers Elementary School near Prague, which contrasts red brickwork and exposed concrete surfaces with colourful patterned floors.

Other newly-completed schools on Dezeen include a timber-framed building in northern France by Coldefy and the Rausing Science Centre for a school in Canterbury, which Walters & Cohen finished in snapped flint.

The photography is by Alex Shoots Buildings.

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