Ecole du Soleil

The school stands on a high plateau where snow covers the ground for much of the year. The Spanish design team kept the building low, letting it follow the slope so that from the hillside it reads as a long horizontal line against the white landscape.

The rooms inside are bright and calm. White walls, curved furniture and built-in shelving give the classrooms a soft, enclosed feel, while round skylights and long bands of glazing bring in the strong mountain light. Large windows frame the snow, the trees and the distant peaks at the children’s eye level.

Opened in 2014, the school links its interior to the outdoors through terraces and play areas that open directly onto the slope, so the children move easily between the classrooms and the snowfields around them.