Platinum Winner of the International Architecture & Design Awards 2026

Hillside educational hub

Architecture

Educational & Campus Design

Concept / Professional Category

Architect / Designer:

akvk+partners

Studio:

akvk+partners

Design Team:

akvk+partners

Concept and Topography
The main goal of the project is to create a contemporary educational hub where architecture stimulates curiosity, learning, and social interaction across all age groups. The complex topography, featuring an 8-meter elevation gain, is transformed into a stepped composition that organizes the site. Rather than being merely embedded into the slope, the building actively sculpts the terrain, integrating terraces and pedestrian flows into a unified spatial system. The school acts as a vital link within the surrounding residential fabric, where the landscape seamlessly flows into the interior through amphitheaters and expansive panoramic glazing.

Adaptive and Inspiring Learning Environment
The campus is conceived as a holistic educational landscape that fosters cognitive, physical, and sensory engagement. Outdoor sports courts, sensory gardens, flexible classrooms, and multi-level recreational zones support a diverse range of learning formats—from focused individual study to vibrant group collaboration. Educational blocks are anchored by a central public core housing sports halls, a cafeteria, and a concert hall. A versatile media library serves as the primary hub for coworking, discussion, and experimental learning.
The primary school features its own dedicated community center—a multi-level recreational space designed for diverse scenarios: active play, small-group study, or quiet retreat.

Architectural Language
The architecture is defined by an expressive, tectonic facade. The deep relief of profiled terracotta-hued panels creates a sophisticated play of light and shadow, lending the building a dynamic rhythm of vertical folds and cantilevered volumes. This formal logic continues into the interior, where the rhythm of the facade is echoed in the spatial geometry and material accents.
The building’s spatial flexibility is highlighted by multi-level atria and interactive learning landscapes. Panoramic glazing and skylights flood the interior with natural light, blurring the boundaries between the architectural shell and the adaptive learning environment.

Social Role
Beyond school hours, the building functions as an autonomous community center accessible to local residents for clubs, sports, and cultural events. This fosters intergenerational interaction and strengthens social ties, creating a more resilient and supportive urban environment.
This model aligns with the principles of sustainable development by expanding the utility of public infrastructure. Furthermore, the project embraces the concept of the “silver economy” by engaging older adults in intergenerational initiatives, creating a platform that integrates both physical and digital formats of urban life.

akvk+partners

akvk+partners is an interdisciplinary team of architects, researchers and engineers. We create unique architectural environments at the intersection of form-making and the programming of life patterns, always keeping people at the center of our approach.

For us, every project is an opportunity to create something meaningful and distinctive—a dialogue with the context of a place and its future. By combining a deep passion for architecture with strong team engagement, we develop solutions where the interests of the client, the city and the user remain in balance.

Our experience ranges from building design to master planning and urban development strategies. We aim to create cohesive and sustainable architectural environments that support the formation of vibrant communities.