La arquitectura escolar de Martorell, Bohigas y Mackay. El modelo concentrado como oportunidad educativa

Abstract

En un momento de importante reformulación del edificio escolar, los arquitectos Martorell, Bohigas y Mackay definieron un modelo escolar de gran riqueza espacial, con una gran capacidad didáctica y especial énfasis social. Esto fue facilitado por su amplio conocimiento de experiencias destacadas, la colaboración con expertos en la enseñanza y su carácter crítico e inconformista. Sus escuelas fueron unos de los ejemplos más destacados realizados en los años 60 en España y consiguieron un importante reconocimiento internacional. El estudio de estos edificios permite no sólo poner en relieve su valor patrimonial sino también recuperarlos como referencia en la actualidad.

The Martorell, Bohigas and Mackay work has been characterized by social involvement and education has been one of their main interests. Their school buildings have always attended to educational progress and have primarily reflected the transformation that school typology experienced in 50s and 60s. These architects took an active part in the school building revision by means of their designs and articles. Their work showed their wide knowledge about school buildings and also their critical, non-conformist and visionary nature. Since the beginning of xx Century, the Barcelona council had been in the vanguard of education in Europe. Their borough council did an important research work in education and founded open-air schools, summer educative centres and comprehensive schools. After Spanish Civil War, the municipal school control was transfer to the Francoist administration and educational politics were changed. However, some teachers removed from the public education founded private institutions to continue with the progressive pedagogy. Martorell, Bohigas y Mackay built some of these school buildings, which became an international reference model. According to that, the present research analyses the school work of the Catalonian office in order to establish their characteristics and contribution to the school building progress. With this purpose, their work has been put into context and their school buildings and articles have been examined. In addition, the school work of these architects has been connected with the school buildings of the international vanguard. In short, the article expects to reveal the Martorell, Bohigas and Mackay contribution to the important transformation that school building underwent in 50s and 60s.