See Before and After Photos of This Extreme School Makeover
Per a 2013 report, Puerto Rico’s poverty level looms at 44.9 percent, so it’s not shocking that many of the buildings are in rough shape. The building in the above picture was an abandoned educational space built by the Puerto Rican Volunteer Corps. It’s been abandoned for 20 years and was literally falling apart. Most people would say the best thing to do would just be to knock it down. But when architects from the Diaz Paunetto architecture firm saw the building, they saw a potential project.
To protect the exterior, designers clad it in steel and then layered patterned bamboo on top. They used colored glass in bright red, blue, green and yellow to make the building look a bit sunnier. After all, it is a learning center for preschoolers. Glass played a big part in designing the interior, as well. The architects wanted to make sure plenty of natural light filled the rooms, something that the concrete made difficult before.
Now, what once was a dilapidated shack is now a safe place for kids to play and learn. It’s just a cool reminder to look for potential in everything, even the ordinary.
What do you think of this school makeover? Tell us in the comments!
(h/t Design Boom)