Public school Marcos del Torniello, Avilés

Within the initiatives on climate change adaptation, the Vice Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of the Government of the Principality of Asturias plans to develop a pilot project to improve the resilience of Asturian cities. Due to the breadth and density of the network they form, public educational facilities have great potential to naturalize and green urban environments, thus addressing the effects of global warming, such as the increase in temperatures or the rise in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as torrential rains or heatwaves.

Therefore, it is about transforming the open spaces of the centers, enriching them with new uses, increasing the gardened and wooded areas, renaturalizing the water cycle, and promoting the use of renewable energies, and doing so in collaboration with the municipalities and educational communities.

After mapping and analyzing the public educational centers in the major urban areas of Asturias, in coordination with the Department of Education, C.P. Marcos del Torniello, due to its characteristics and the urban environment in which it is situated, has been chosen as the ideal setting to develop this experience.

The objective is to develop a proposal for action, at the preliminary project level, to improve the adaptive capacity of this public educational facility, so that it can be replicable in other similar facilities and thus contribute to the improvement of the resilience of urban systems as a whole. Therefore, this report addresses some issues that go beyond the ordinary scope of a preliminary project.

The C.P Marcos del Torniello is an educational center located in an area known as La Texera, in the Versalles neighborhood, in the town of Avilés. It is an almost border area between the Versalles neighborhood and a nearby rural/natural environment.

More than 25 years ago, the school transformed one of its abandoned corners into a small native forest. The project, initially led by a forestry engineer who planned the cleaning and planting work, required the labor of parents and teachers who, even on Saturdays, would dig to shape what it is today: a forest, a subject of study, where the little ones (kindergarten students) dig, prune, collect, make compost, study animals, and, when the weather is good, play.

In addition to these activities, the students usually go for a walk along the Magdalena River path and observe the various plant and animal species on the riverbank in situ.

The construction of the Magdalena River path just a decade ago has led to the recovery of its course, the elimination of invasive species, and their replacement with others native to the Asturian riverbanks. Regarding the fauna, the Magdalena Riverbed presents a significant deficiency: the technicians did not locate any fish species during their inspections. They were able to see, however, various types of amphibians such as toads of different species, salamanders, or garter snakes. Knowing the pre-existing conditions and the values of the place, the proposal aims for the dignification and improvement of the environment through the renaturalization and demineralization of the areas free from the school.

The synthesis of the proposal is based on ecotones, the transition zones between two different ecosystems; these are the areas of maximum interaction and therefore of greater biological richness.

The organization of the project is based on the communion of different functional levels. A continuous floor that reinforces the horizontality and connection between the different built volumes of the school and between these and the neighborhood buildings; ecological connectors created through a tree canopy that regulates and varies in species and heights, and biodiversity nodes (programmatic and environmental), which enable different spaces for staying, learning, and playing.

While it is true that the Magdalena River was channeled decades ago and that its reopening would represent a project of greater scope than this one, the proposal aims to maintain the landscape identity of the erased riparian ecosystem, recovering its sinuous morphology and incorporating vegetation typical of riverine habitats. The fluidity of the layout is conveyed to the open spaces through the articulation of places with different soil materials and their enclosures. Thus, the wooden surfaces of the canopy, porous concrete, permeable pavements, and small meadows alternate on the horizontal plane, complementing the vertical plane with various herbaceous, tree, and shrub species and games that will provide children with multiple stimuli.

- Mobility and access

The different accesses to the school complex have been characterized in such a way that each one responds to a specific functionality and the environment to which it connects. On one hand, the access from Calle Pelayo is intended for goods. The other accesses open up to the neighborhood and connect to it.

On the other hand, the passage of emergency vehicles accessing the building's facades is anticipated. Access via the Travesía de la Depuradora retains its identity as the main access point, and an overall vision of the project is provided.

- Green and biodiversity

The subsoil is critical both for the health of plant species and to complete the water cycle by making more rational and sustainable use of water waste. The project proposes the partial replacement of the surface layer, up to an average depth of 80 cm, and radically improving the conditions for the new trees by giving them enough space for root growth. The adopted solution is the introduction of structural soil.

The species have been selected considering the current and future climate (as a result of the effects of climate change), their functionality in the urban environment as a garden for the entire neighborhood, and as a space for recreation, play, and learning for children, with the enrichment of the area's biodiversity being the predominant factor in all cases.

To promote biophilia, in addition to creating green areas with ecological variability within the chosen habitats, an insect hotel and an amphibian pond are incorporated, elements that enhance the overall biodiversity.

- Water cycle

Under the premise of closing the water cycle, the project improves soil permeability and allows for rainwater collection, attenuating the flow and promoting the absorption of runoff water into the ground during rainy periods. The volume of water reaching the conventional sewage system is reduced.

- Energy

One of the main strategies of the preliminary project is the construction of a photovoltaic canopy. This canopy has the dual function of providing more covered patio space from the rain, with good natural lighting that encourages its use, and generating electrical energy through the incorporation of photovoltaic glass.

The estimated electricity generated in the first year of operation is 51,673 kWh. The estimated electricity generated over 35 years, which is the estimated lifespan of the installation, is 1,501,101 kWh considering an average annual loss of 1%. Energy sufficient to power 2,949 light points operating 4 hours a day for 35 years, energy sufficient to avoid the emission of 369 tons of CO2.