This structure aims to harbor children at risk that were removed from their family environment, towards their reinstatement or adoption. Envisioning shared educational and recreational spaces with the kindergarten was essential to counter the stigma and
isolation to which institutionalized children are often subjected.
The concept comes from the paradoxical intention to fill in the urban front simultaneously drawing a public pedestrian route. Once the Shelter width and the route outline are established, a twist is introduced on the building ground floor to enable a progressive enlargement of the path, while the upper levels remain orthogonal. The entrance is then made at the rearmost
point through a glazed corner.
The transitions between storeys are marked by ceiling height differences and centralized stairways, whose trapezoidal profile recalls the twisted facade. Its spiral sequence is emphasized spatially and materially by a skylight that animates the void allowing for playful appropriations.
