School of Performing Arts (Actors' School)

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Cultural spaces · Subcategory: Institutions · Year: 2003 · Authors: Juan Antonio González Pérez, Urbano Yanes Tuña

This building, which houses the School of Performing Arts of Tenerife (also known as the Actors' School of the Canary Islands, Tenerife Branch), is located in the upper area of the city, in El Ramonal, an area that has several educational facilities (Faculty of Fine Arts and Conservatory of Music). 

The project was carried out by architects Juan Antonio González Pérez and Urbano Yanes (GPY Arquitectos), with the collaboration of Félix Perera.  The work, completed in 2003, is inspired by the figure of a stage that, taking advantage of the landscape and the slope of the terrain, obtains different spaces combining concrete, glass, and wood. 

Inside, the covered courtyard is conceived as a "stage box" that opens towards the city. From here, the teaching spaces, storage, and the counselling office are distributed on different levels. A smaller body opens to the north, housing the governing and administrative bodies, the areas for teachers and students, and the library, the latter directly connected to a perimeter garden.

The interior courtyard, defined as a broken inclined plane that adapts to the slight slope of the terrain, is the geographical reference element of the entire complex.

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