093 · Save The Children / Elii

Architects: elii
Area: 483 m²
Year: 2018
Photographs: ImagenSubliminal
Manufacturers: BANDALUX
Products Used in This Project: Roller Shades – Premium Systems by BANDALUX
Architect-in-Charge: Ana López
Author Architectes: Uriel Fogué, Eva Gil, Carlos Palacios
Competition Ream: Eduardo Castillo, María Rodríguez, Irene de Santos, Ana Castaño
Execution Project Team: Eduardo Castillo, María Rodríguez, Irene de Santos, Carlos Moles, Paula Rodríguez, Lucía Fernández
Technical Architects: Dirtec – Javier González, Javier Mach
Models: Ana López, Lucía Fernández, Eduardo Castillo, Laura Barros, Telmo Sagartzazu
Promotor: Fundación Save The Children
City: Madrid
Country: Spain

The Save The Children building by elii in the San Diego neighborhood of Vallecas is a strategic renovation and extension project designed to meet the needs of a childcare center. The design adds a new structure suspended over the existing building, creating a new façade and core for communications and services. Key interventions include structural refurbishment, partial demolition for a new service core, an extension of the top floor with cross-ventilation, and a new façade system of eaves and canopies for thermal regulation and improved aesthetics. The project incorporates elements to foster user interaction and emotional connection, such as collaborative spaces, movable panels, and integrated greenery. An energy strategy includes bioclimatic measures, insulated enclosures, underfloor heating, and façade-integrated plants to achieve optimal energy performance. The project is presented in phases, allowing for future updates such as solar energy integration and new air conditioning systems, adapting to the evolving needs of the NGO, and maximizing the building’s potential.

The Save The Children Foundation building serves as a strategic hub in the San Diego neighborhood for the NGO’s social work in Vallecas. The project includes the refurbishment and expansion of the existing structure to meet the requirements of a childcare center. The proposal involves adding a new suspended section over the existing building, which extends the facility, creates a new façade, and introduces an updated communications and service core.

The planned operations include:

1. Refurbishment of the Architectural Support
A series of updates are planned for the 1950s building, including: (a) refurbishing and consolidating the existing structure, (b) partially demolishing the rear of the building to integrate a new communications and service core that meets current regulations and ensures the technical and functional performance of the main spaces, (c) extending the top floor to the allowable building surface with a two-level space positioned between two terraces to enhance cross-ventilation, (d) renovating the façade with eaves, canopies, and suspended flower pots from the top floor, addressing the lack of insulation and solar radiation control while redefining the STC Foundation’s presence in the square, and (e) optimizing functional organization to meet stringent regulatory requirements for child-use buildings while preserving maximum flexibility for potential future uses.

2. Stimulating Affection
The building incorporates elements designed to foster user interaction and emotional attachment to the new headquarters. Drawing from modern child care methodologies that emphasize self-confidence, responsibility, and affection for others—like caring for pets or plants—these principles are translated into the architectural design through various spatial, material, chromatic, furniture, and design interventions, including: (a) integrating mechanisms that promote collaborative spaces, such as movable panels in classrooms and portable furniture like wheeled shelves in the library, allowing flexible space configurations and enhancing the connection between users and their environment, (b) adding elements that encourage care, such as plants in pots and ‘architectural pets’ embedded within various spaces for collective care, (c) using materials that stimulate perception, such as finishes in the waiting room that reflect the exterior, paving that extends from the square into the hall, and open enclosures that link directly to the play area, dissolving the boundary between inside and outside, (d) incorporating children’s wishes into the design. During the bidding process, children provided a ‘wish list’ of their desired features for the new space. While some requests, like chocolate fountains on each floor, were not feasible, others, such as ‘seeing the stars from the rooms,’ were realized through design elements like a skylight in the screening room. Overall, these interventions aim to make the building feel like a ‘pet,’ enhance playfulness, and foster a sense of affection towards the center.

3. Energy Strategy
The project incorporates a combination of basic active and passive bioclimatic measures to support the overall air conditioning strategy, including: (a) designing a new insulated enclosure with cross-ventilation where possible, (b) implementing a façade system with canopies and eaves to lower energy consumption for cooling in the summer and heating in the winter, (c) integrating plants on the façade to regulate temperature and humidity during the summer months, and (d) using an underfloor heating system for both cooling and heating. These elements collectively ensure the building achieves the highest possible energy certification, reduces maintenance costs, and maintains comfort for children, visitors, and staff.

4. Phases and Updates
To expedite the timeline and reduce costs, the project has been initiated as a basic refurbishment, enabling the Foundation to begin operations in the neighborhood. However, the design includes protocols for future updates, allowing for enhancements and adjustments as the NGO’s needs evolve. Potential additions include: (a) enclosing the main terrace with a greenhouse to integrate into the active air conditioning system, (b) installing solar photovoltaic panels on the roof, leveraging its optimal geometry and inclination for solar energy collection, (c) adding new air conditioning components, and (d) integrating new convertible furniture. These updates will enable ongoing performance improvements and structural adaptability over time.

These operations maximize the building’s potential through a program that is both engaging and functional, as determined by the three voting juries: the experts, the staff, and the children.