BOS Arquitectes introduces Muro nursery school in Mallorca
BOS Arquitectes completes a 745-square-meter nursery school in Muro, Mallorca, between the town’s edge and open agricultural fields. Set on elevated ground, the building overlooks familiar landmarks, which include the Marés stone windmill, the football field stands, and the skyline punctuated by the Church of Sant Joan Baptista and the Convent of Santa Anna. The single-story structure settles into the landscape through a sequence of low-rise vaults that trace a continuous, undulating roofline along the horizon.
Visible from multiple vantage points, the ceramic-tiled roof becomes the defining gesture of the project. Finished in a restrained yellow-ochre glaze, it resonates with the local chromatic palette of sand-colored marés stone and clay roof tiles, allowing the building to register as present but not dominant.
all images by Del Río Bani
Compact plan organizes classrooms
The Palma-based team at BOS Arquitectes conceives the project through a passive design strategy. The nursery organizes its compact volume to reduce energy demand while structuring the daily life of children aged 0 to 3. The access facade defines a small public square, mediating between the school and the town. On the opposite sides, the building encloses south-facing classroom patios, a shared patio to the east, and a service strip along the northern edge.
At its center, a courtyard allows cross ventilation and daylight deep into the plan while remaining fully visible from the interior spaces to facilitate supervision. This open-air void becomes not only a climatic device but also a place where outdoor space is integrated into the daily routine. Solar control is addressed through classroom porches and planted areas within the courtyard. Cross ventilation operates both in plan and section, with large openings on the south façades and smaller, higher apertures to the north, reinforcing airflow across the building.
Ceramic roof and timber beams shape the project
The construction of the building is organized into six seven-meter-wide bays, defined by curved laminated timber beams that generate the vaulted profile. The repetition of these concave forms evokes a primal sense of shelter while resolving the slope of the roof in structural terms. The ceramic covering articulates the path of rainwater, transforming drainage into an architectural narrative. As the facades guide light inward, the roof guides water outward, integrating environmental performance into form.
Internally, the spatial configuration produces a sheltered, warm atmosphere. The building is arranged in three longitudinal strips around a continuous circulation loop that wraps the courtyard. This clarity of organization supports both orientation and daily rhythms.
Exposed structures, textures, and natural finishes avoid superfluous layers, turning the building itself into a didactic tool. Concrete slabs, stone walls, and brick masonry concentrate thermal mass where the building meets the ground, while the roof, more exposed to solar radiation, is conceived as a lightweight, ventilated system with low thermal inertia. Its light-colored ceramic tiles reduce solar absorption during summer months.
Low-impact, locally sourced materials and efficient construction systems reduce the environmental footprint of the building across its life cycle. Active systems complement the passive strategies, supporting performance without becoming visually dominant.
project info:
name: Muro Nursery School for Children Aged 0 to 3
architects: BOS Arquitectes SLP | @bosarquitectes
lead architects: Miquel Barceló Ordinas and Margalida Seguí Tugores
location: C/Maria i Josep S/N, 07440 Muro, Mallorca, Spain
built area: 745 square meters
technical architect: Antoni Arqué Garrofé
engineer: Javier Vela Rodríguez
client: Ajuntament de Muro
main contractor: Obras y Promociones Comas SA
structure: Ejestru SL
roof construction: Madergia SL
photographer: Del Río Bani | @delriobani
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