Beautiful Roldan School Keeps Cool Under a Cover of Green

This awe-inspiring Roldan Public School and Primary (CEIP) keeps kids cool and green in Spain. <a href="http://www.huma.es/huma.html">Huma Arquitectura</a> was commissioned to design a school that <a href="http://inhabitat.com/hill-hut-a-playful-abode-designed-for-nature-loving-children/">fosters a love of nature</a>, but the firm did not have a massive budget, and they had to create a structure that could easily accommodate projected population growth. The design response? Wrap not just the roof or the walls, but the whole school in <a href="http://inhabitat.com/grass-cars-taking-your-car-to-the-greenwash/">Astroturf</a>. Although fake grass is not quite as exciting as real vegetation, the turf keeps the building cool and needs no water or maintenance.

The project called for a minimalist design with a green ethos

Huma Arquitectura had a limited budget and had to leave room for expansion

So they linked together a series of home-style buildings on a horizontal plan

Left the interior feeling fairly industrial

In keeping with the project's overall minimalism

The space is softened a little by stickers placed intermittently throughout the buildings

But otherwise left quite raw

Then they wrapped the whole building in Astroturf.

Some designers wrap walls, others wrap roofs, but Huma wrapped the entire school in green.

Then the edges of the school were touched together to create a protective inner space where children can play.

This awesome design is bound to create many a green child!