A comprehensive retrofit of the Santa Maria School in São Paulo, Brazil, has successfully modernized a 1960s educational facility while preserving its architectural identity. The project, completed by Carvalho Terra Arquitetos in 2025, transformed 550 square meters of early childhood education spaces to meet contemporary technological demands and pedagogical practices.
The school's existing buildings, originally constructed in the late 1960s and previously expanded in the 2000s, required significant updates to accommodate growing enrollment and evolving educational needs. Lead architects Bruno Carvalho and Carina Terra developed a strategic approach that modernized essential areas including the reception, administrative sector, cafeteria, experimental kitchen, restrooms, and library while maintaining the building's historic character.
One of the most significant changes involved relocating and expanding the cafeteria, which had been operating in an inadequate converted classroom. The architects proposed returning that space to its original classroom function and expanding a smaller room near the entrance to create a proper dining facility. A new roof structure featuring concrete pillars, metal beams, and thermal-acoustic tiles was constructed to cover the expanded cafeteria area, creating sheltered outdoor space for students and improving the building's entrance.
The new cafeteria was designed with three strategic access points to optimize traffic flow. Two entrances manage student entry and exit patterns, while a separate technical entrance allows for food delivery and cleaning operations without disrupting educational activities. The design incorporates existing exposed brick and concrete elements with new furniture and equipment, complemented by a distinctive background panel featuring continuous line drawings that illustrate food transformation processes.
In the basement level, architects implemented a comprehensive renovation to house an experimental kitchen alongside improved facilities including children's restrooms, storage areas, and staff spaces with changing rooms, lockers, and bathrooms. The experimental kitchen was strategically divided into two functional zones: an inner section with fixed counters at varying heights and specialized equipment for educator-supervised activities, and an outer section providing flexible space for collaborative student cooking projects.
The library renovation addressed the challenge of two disconnected spaces that previously housed collections and educational activities separately. The new integrated library design, positioned strategically along student circulation routes and classroom access points, features custom shelving systems that display books in multiple orientations and configurations. Lower shelves present books face-forward both vertically and horizontally for easy browsing, while upper shelving accommodates the complete collection in traditional spine-out arrangements.
Special attention was paid to creating flexible learning environments throughout the renovated spaces. The library includes various seating options with bean bags and floor mats in a central flexible area designed to accommodate diverse pedagogical activities. Additional features include a projection screen for multimedia presentations and storage trunks that serve dual purposes as seating and costume storage for storytelling sessions. Staff support areas were integrated to facilitate supervision and guidance during student activities.
The construction process required careful planning to minimize disruption to the school's operations, with work scheduled during summer and winter breaks. This constraint influenced material choices and construction strategies, leading the team to select processes and materials that could be efficiently installed during limited timeframes while ensuring durability and safety for the educational environment.
Color coding was strategically implemented throughout the renovated spaces, particularly in the children's restrooms where colored signals guide students in proper facility usage. This wayfinding system reflects the architects' understanding of early childhood development needs and creates an intuitive navigation system for young users.
The project represents a successful model for educational facility retrofits, demonstrating how historic school buildings can be adapted for contemporary educational practices without losing their architectural heritage. The Santa Maria School renovation showcases innovative approaches to space planning, circulation management, and flexible learning environment design while respecting the building's original 1960s character and subsequent 2000s additions.
