The school building that the Teresian Association constructed in Malaga, Spain, in the 1960s continues to impress with its architecture and has been awarded a plaque by the city council.

postal anni 60Postcard of the school in its opening years.

This is not a new development. It has attracted attention since its creation. The architecture of the school Academia Santa Teresa in Malaga embodies a whole concept of education and Povedan values that was interpreted very well by the authors of the project. It has been referenced in professional journals of architecture and pedagogy in Spain and other countries.

Integrated into the landscape

On Saturday 18 March, the mayor of the city, Francisco de la Torre, accompanied by the councillor for culture, Noelia Losada, and the principal of the school, Rocío Medina, unveiled a plaque from the series “Malaga makes history”. It recognises the building to be an outstanding example of modern southern architecture in the city, integrated into the landscape, with its white walls and terraces, surrounded by lush greenery.placa asteresa

Connecting with the origins

The architects Manuel Barbero and Rafael de la Joya were commissioned to design the project. In the 1960s, the school moved from an old building in the centre of Malaga to a plot on a hillside facing the sea in a residential area. The move did not, however, change the emblematic name linked to its origins in 1914 and which is still called Academia Santa Teresa.

Generations of students, from that time until the present day, can testify that the architectural choice was not accidental. Learning has always been at the forefront and it was this that imposed the criteria of generous use of space, flexibility and respect for the landscape, etc.

Open and bright

The unveiling of the plaque on the facade of the entrance to the school coincided with a meeting of former students. They witnessed this honour being granted to the school where they had spent their childhood and adolescence enjoying the wide corridors in the open air, terraces overlooking the sea and open spaces. This must have firmly defined each school day because it is a landscape of beauty with an open environment, and it is a place that has been filled with light by Poveda-inspired education for decades.

The recognition it received has been reported in the local and national press, in some cases with emphasis on the fact that this building is not an isolated project. In line with Pedro Poveda's approach (1), the Teresian Association has always taken care to ensure that the environment in which the pupils are learning is consistent with its educational model.

grupo mlg entrada

The Mayor of Malaga with a group of alumnae at the entrance to the Centre where the plaque was placed.

TA Info.
TA Translators Team.

1- See in Spanish: Pedro Poveda. Obras II. Ensayos y proyectos pedagógicos. Edición crítica y estudio a cargo de Margarita Bartolomé Pina. Madrid, 2016.

 

 

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