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ACTIU Berbegal y Formas, S.A.
Projects / Education / IES Cotes Baixes, Alcoy

Alcoy - Spain

Cotes Baixes Secondary School: active learning, technological integration and spatial transformation

Education

Objective

Since 2015, the public secondary school IES Cotes Baixes in Alcoy has not only undertaken a process of educational transformation; it has also started a silent revolution that has placed it among the 66 centres that lead the State Network of Centres of Excellence in Vocational Training. What began as a technical project - digitalisation of processes and methodological revision - soon became something much more profound, through the reinvention of the role of the teacher, the student experience and the way in which both inhabit the educational space.

While many Centres of Excellence focus their efforts on acquiring machinery or equipping new traditional classrooms, Cotes Baixes has decided to anticipate the future, opting for a radical transformation of its learning environments. With the help of architect Mar Muñoz Aparici and creative consultancy Venture Experience, the centre designed an ecosystem that goes beyond the concept of 'classroom', through flexible spaces, meeting places, hybrid zones and digital environments that promote well-being, concentration and authentic collaboration, both internally and with the national and international business environment.

"In contrast to traditional learning, limited to four walls and a rigid structure, we have opened the doors to learn outside them. A spatial change that has also transformed the way we teach, learn and organise ourselves", explained IES Cotes Baixes.

Solution

The headteacher, Fernando Sansaloni, explained this transformation with a vision that guides the entire process, according to which "education can be a real driver of change if we are able to connect knowledge, technology and people". A comprehensive approach that combines active methodologies, advanced technological integration and a profound spatial transformation. Because in addition to improving a building, it is about redefining learning through a replicable model that positions IES Cotes Baixes as a national benchmark.

Architect Mar Muñoz Aparici and Venture Experience have developed a project that transcends design through an experiential journey built with the SpaceUX methodology, which identifies the critical moments of interaction between students, teachers and environment. The result is an intelligent ecosystem, where each space has an educational, emotional and human purpose.

"From the moment you step inside the school, you realise that it is not an ordinary educational space," said Muñoz Aparici. Natural light, soft sounds, warm materials and a carefully chosen palette of colours create an atmosphere that promotes calm and reflection, far from the usual coldness of traditional educational environments. And here, Actiu's furniture plays an essential role.

The entrance is more than just a place of transit, it is a space that welcomes, connects and activates. An open reception in white and oak, Globb sofas that relax your body in order to activate your mind, a Qyos booth for agile meetings and screens that display information in a transparent way, make up a space in which technology and design coexist naturally, creating islands of conversation, reflection and fluid learning.

The architect also highlighted that "to build a solid community, there must be places where interactions arise naturally. And here, Actiu is once again key".

In the teachers' canteen - a space separate from the student area, but connected through a communal kitchen that beats like a shared heart - the furniture adapts to the movement of everyday life, while sound-absorbing ceilings and ceramic panels reduce noise and promote well-being.

In the student lounge, flexibility is taken to another level, with light, mobile tables, folding chairs, dynamic tiered seating and a large projector screen allowing the space to transform in seconds from a robotics workshop to an exhibition area or a room in which students can play cards on a rainy day.

The balance between versatile furniture and specific pieces creates environments that are comfortable, intuitive and full of possibilities, inviting students to reinvent the use of space in unexpected ways. "The adaptability of finishes, textures and sizes has allowed for coherent furnishings that facilitate comfortable, intuitive and deeply human everyday use," said Muñoz Aparici.

For the architect, "Cotes Baixes has not renovated its educational space, it has redefined education". An innovative model in which Actiu, with its human, adaptable and well-being-oriented furniture, has been key to demonstrating how design, as well as aesthetic, is a powerful tool to transform the learning experience.

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Architects/Interior designers
Mar Muñoz Aparici
Location
Alcoy, Alicante
Area
700 m²
Brand / Manufacturer
Actiu
Customer
Cotes Baixes Secondary School
Constructora
Venture Experience
Year
2025
Products used

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