Záhoří School
Záhoří School is located on a descending site between the emerging residential neighbourhood of Kuřim and the forested slopes of Horka. Designed for 540 pupils, this unique position between city and forest forms the starting point for a learning environment where architecture, landscape and community life are closely interwoven. We envision the new school as a living environment for learning and a shared centre for community life.
The building defines a clear urban edge while opening towards the surrounding landscape. Three distinct volumes respond to the scale of the surrounding residential fabric and are connected by a lower central building that steps down towards the neighbouring kindergarten. Integrated into the sloping terrain, the composition breaks down the scale of the school and creates a welcoming environment for children and the wider community.
The school is organised as a sequence of learning environments that extends beyond the classroom. Teaching spaces are grouped in clusters, giving pupils smaller and more recognisable communities within the larger school. Classrooms open onto generous shared areas for informal learning, group work, breaks and everyday interaction, while direct connections to courtyards, terraces and rooftop gardens allow teaching and school life to move naturally between inside and outside.
The lower central building brings together the entrance, foyer, canteen, auditorium and leisure facilities. A generous amphitheatre stair connects the different levels and provides space for circulation, informal learning, gatherings and events. Shared facilities and sports spaces can operate independently outside school hours, extending the use of the school beyond the school day.
From the public arrival square, courtyards, gardens, terraces, rooftop learning areas and outdoor sports spaces create a varied sequence of places for teaching, play, movement and gathering. In the courtyard, a rain garden temporarily collects stormwater, making seasonal water cycles visible as part of the learning environment.
Beyond the sports grounds, winding paths lead towards the forest, while a circular pedestrian bridge crosses the road and safely connects the school grounds to Horka’s existing path network. Forest pavilions, play areas and places for outdoor learning extend the school’s activities into the landscape.
A clear structural grid supports the flexible organisation of the learning spaces and allows them to adapt to changing educational needs over time. The regular structural system creates a flexible framework that can accommodate future changes while supporting an efficient and rational construction process.
The building defines a clear urban edge while opening towards the surrounding landscape. Three distinct volumes respond to the scale of the surrounding residential fabric and are connected by a lower central building that steps down towards the neighbouring kindergarten. Integrated into the sloping terrain, the composition breaks down the scale of the school and creates a welcoming environment for children and the wider community.
A continuous learning landscape
The school is organised as a sequence of learning environments that extends beyond the classroom. Teaching spaces are grouped in clusters, giving pupils smaller and more recognisable communities within the larger school. Classrooms open onto generous shared areas for informal learning, group work, breaks and everyday interaction, while direct connections to courtyards, terraces and rooftop gardens allow teaching and school life to move naturally between inside and outside.The lower central building brings together the entrance, foyer, canteen, auditorium and leisure facilities. A generous amphitheatre stair connects the different levels and provides space for circulation, informal learning, gatherings and events. Shared facilities and sports spaces can operate independently outside school hours, extending the use of the school beyond the school day.
Between city and forest
The forest extends down the slope into the school grounds, interweaving with the architecture and continuing through the site towards the new public square. Through the building and landscape, the school creates a gradual transition between the emerging neighbourhood and the forested slopes of Horka.From the public arrival square, courtyards, gardens, terraces, rooftop learning areas and outdoor sports spaces create a varied sequence of places for teaching, play, movement and gathering. In the courtyard, a rain garden temporarily collects stormwater, making seasonal water cycles visible as part of the learning environment.
Beyond the sports grounds, winding paths lead towards the forest, while a circular pedestrian bridge crosses the road and safely connects the school grounds to Horka’s existing path network. Forest pavilions, play areas and places for outdoor learning extend the school’s activities into the landscape.
An adaptable hybrid structure
The school is designed primarily as a mass timber structure, with concrete used selectively where the building meets the ground and landscape. Glulam columns and CLT elements form the main structure above, allowing timber to remain exposed throughout much of the school and making wood a natural part of the everyday learning environment.A clear structural grid supports the flexible organisation of the learning spaces and allows them to adapt to changing educational needs over time. The regular structural system creates a flexible framework that can accommodate future changes while supporting an efficient and rational construction process.
LOCATION
Kuřim, Czech Republic
TYPOLOGYElementary School
SIZE11.700 m2
STATUSInvited competition 2025-26
CLIENT City of Kuřim
COLLABORATION Lasovsky Johansson Architects (co-architect), Onirism (visualisation), Architecture On Paper (visualisation)
TYPOLOGYElementary School
SIZE11.700 m2
STATUSInvited competition 2025-26
CLIENT City of Kuřim
COLLABORATION Lasovsky Johansson Architects (co-architect), Onirism (visualisation), Architecture On Paper (visualisation)