Sister Marie Laurence School

We made hurricane proof design for the Sister Marie Laurence School in St. Maarten, where openness and visibility are key in the dynamic design.

In our design we want to give more space to the children. There will be more classrooms for education, and also more places to play outside and meet each other.

Hurricane resistant

Designed for the Catholic School Board of St. Maarten, the new Sister Marie Laurence is built to withstand hurricanes, enabling the school to reopen quickly after storms. This stability is crucial for restoring daily life and providing peace of mind for families.

The school is located in Middle Region in St. Maarten, a residential area known for its central location. It offers a mix of local homes and small businesses, but many people living here do not have the means to protect themselves properly when a hurricane approaches. The school will therefore also serve as a bunker for the community if that is ever necessary.

As Caribbean architects, our commitment to rebuilding resilient educational facilities has deepened following the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma in 2017. After Irma, the old school was completely destroyed and unusable.

More space

The children are temporarily housed in another school building. We have made a design based on the plot of the old building. Despite a compact site, the school’s program is ambitious, making efficient use of the ground. The new design provides more space for diverse classrooms and teaching programs. The combination of ‘early stimulation’ facilities, playgrounds, a music room, a science lab, sport facilities and a library gives a broad range of activities to cater towards de needs of children of different ages.

We created outdoor areas across multiple levels where children can play and interact, encouraging social contact crucial for their development. Additionally, the design enhances social supervision, allowing teachers and staff to better oversee students.

Sun, wind and water

The design respects the natural slope of the land, minimizing excavation and maintaining harmony with the surroundings. It harnesses the prevailing easterly winds to ventilate the entire building. The shaded playground in the eastern part is out of the afternoon sun and in the wind.

Innovative window designs promote airflow but keep out mosquitoes and burglars. The type of window also provides a sustainable solution since the need of air conditioning will be limited by using cross-ventilation.

Rainwater collecting systems take care of water needs for the educational gardens that form part of the project.

Community catalyst

More than just a school, Sister Marie Laurence serves as a vital social infrastructure within the neighborhood. Following the principles of ‘Urbanismo Social’—inspired by Medellín, Colombia—the school acts as a community meeting point and catalyst for improved quality of life in the (vulnerable) area.

Although construction of the school has yet to begin – even eight years later – the school board has started preparing the area for the community. They have built a sports field and playground that everyone can use, which will later be part of the outdoor play spaces for the schoolchildren — as you can see in this video.