Renovation of the Yeshivá Kéter Torá Jewish School

The challenge of the renovation project for the Yeshivá Kéter Torá, the largest Orthodox Jewish religious school in Latin America, was to conceive new spaces for the student community, adapting them to the existing buildings to harmonize with contemporary teaching methods

Flexible and connected spaces

The Yeshivá Keter Torá school accommodates 1,700 students in a 4-story complex, subject to an ambitious renovation plan that began in 2021, overseen by ARCO Arquitectura Contemporánea. This project encompassed two complete buildings, corridors, vertical distribution, administrative offices, teacher's rooms, classrooms, libraries, laboratories. The project's aim was to provide functional and flexible spaces, accommodating new ways of teaching and learning where connectivity is a vital element

Respect for religious canons in contemporary architecture

The project reflects the necessary connectivity and flexibility but respects the strict religious canons at all times: the division of the two buildings remains, one for male students and one for female students. In the latter, the most radical intervention has been to transform circulation areas into recreational spaces to promote social interaction and display the artistic works of the students. The main materials used in this building are carpentry elements with a special design in shades of light wood, green and gray water-based paints, and flooring in gray stoneware and vinyl

The Male Building and the Libraries

For the primary male building, simple construction solutions were sought. It is a semi-open space where corridors overlook the football field. The spaces housed in this building include corridors, vertical distribution areas, bathrooms, classrooms, library, teacher's lounge, and computer lab. The libraries in both buildings are playful and metamorphic environments: they are designed as configurable areas according to needs and as places for socialization and creativity

The Classrooms

Even in the classrooms, the space is flexible: the furniture, consisting of movable elements, allows adaptation to any type of lesson. Transformable in every way, the space encourages group activities, moving away from conventional instruction where the teacher is always at the forefront and interaction between students is not allowed

Gallery

PEOPLE

ARCO Arquitectura Contemporánea