The building process of State High School in Rapla has started
16.11.2017
The new Rapla State High School will start classes for 360 students in autumn 2018 at a renovated neoclassical school building and a new extension designed by Salto Architects. Salto AB has already designed a number of student friendly and creative education buildings. For example, they have previously designed Tartu Kesklinna School extension in 2007, the first reformed State High School in Viljandi in 2013, Baltic Film and Media School for Tallinn University in 2012. State High Schools are a result of secondary education reform measure that helps to strive for creating contemporary study environments for the youth in the county centres of Estonia.
Rapla State High School is located in a unique natural site surrounded by Vigala river from three sides. The neoclassical school building from the 1920s will be largely preserved and will only have some urgent changes in order to meet modern accessibility and evacuation standards. Hence, the new extension building regards the historical building a central position by being modestly lower. The new building in the centre of the site will allow to create an open plan and functionally diverse, exciting education complex with a natural flow. Thus, the new extension has a panoramic view at and opens all the ground floor doors to the beautiful river side landscape. While the historic building houses many classrooms and one of the staff rooms, the new building houses public functions and a number of spaces that require technical equipment, i.e. kitchen, assembly hall, library and cloakroom.The complex is arranged to be freely flowing and flexible for both the students and teachers taking into account their work’s alternating character. On the one hand, the new extension behind the historic building creates a new courtyard South facing always naturally lit square. In addition to the main entrance, the courtyard accommodates an outdoor class, a flag square and recreational area. On the other hand, the whole site’s green area is turned into an attractive park with trees, bushes and paths along the river.
