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The Educational Campus, Sirius, Russia / ATRIUM

A decentralised, seismic-resilient campus redefining learning. See how flexible atriums and maker spaces turn a school into a vibrant city.

Images and text description provided by the Architects.

Architects: ATRIUM

Location: Sochi, Russia

Year: 2024

area: 73,800 m2

Project team: Anton Nadtochiy, Vera Butko, Petr Alimov, Anna Vorobyova, Anastasia Galutkina, Artem Karpets, Ekaterina Kotlova, Olga Yefimova, Olga Kozak, Diana Mingazova, Yana Oshkina, Ivan Khripkov, Nikita Rybin, Yuri Uymanov, Yulia Mazurova, Almira Shagiakhmetova

The Educational Complex Sirius redefines the school as a decentralized urban campus composed of autonomous yet interconnected clusters to serve the needs of the entire district.

The project comprises four main functional clusters: a primary school, a secondary school, a sports cluster, and a congress centre. These volumes are unified by a network of public spaces – open boulevards, plazas, atriums, and landscaped terraces – that transform the site into a “miniature city”. This urban morphology introduces a diversity of spatial typologies typically absent from conventional school buildings: streets, squares, parks, and communal courtyards become integral parts of daily learning and social life.

Exterior perspective rendering of an active school playground nestled between modern, multi-story buildings with white vertical slatted screen facades. Young children are running, climbing on frames, and riding a bicycle, while others carry a red balloon. Palm trees and green bushes decorate the landscaped area under a bright, sunny sky.
An axonometric 3D diagram mapping out the functional zoning across the entire school complex. Color-coded blocks represent "Preschool education" (light yellow), "Primary school" (pink/purple), "School-wide premises" (orange/red), and "Secondary and high school" (pale yellow). Dozens of individual rooms and clusters are labeled with leaders.

All functional blocks are connected at the second-floor level by enclosed pedestrian bridges, ensuring safe and weather-protected circulation for students. Each block is internally organized around a central atrium that serves as a flexible hub for gatherings, informal learning, exhibitions, and community events. The interior programming responds to age-specific needs and interests, with dedicated zones including group study pods, open-access laboratories and workshops, technology and art clusters, natural science hubs, libraries, dining areas, and administrative units.

High-angle digital aerial rendering of the completed school campus. It reveals a series of interconnected, light-wood and white building blocks featuring intensive green roofs. The school borders a lush, green woodland and a natural wetland pond (ornithological park) with a system of walking trails.

Classroom spaces are designed for maximum adaptability. Movable partitions allow multiple rooms to be reconfigured for various formats: traditional lessons, double-period sessions, academic competitions, lectures, or public presentations. This flexibility supports evolving pedagogical models and community programming beyond school hours.

Interior rendering of the primary school’s high-ceilinged central atrium. Strong concrete columns support mezzanine walkways, and the ceiling is lined with warm wood slats. On the left, a large concrete structure features tiered wooden steps where students sit and socialise. Circular grey seating pods are scattered across the floor.

A distinctive feature of the complex is its system of specialized libraries, each functioning as a competence center for interdisciplinary collaboration, peer mentoring, and cross-age team projects. Complementing these are shared creative studios and maker spaces that facilitate a gentle transition for preschoolers into formal education and, eventually, adult life.

Rendering of a dynamic outdoor terrace featuring wide wooden staircases that function as cascading spectator seating and dining decks. Groups of students and teachers sit, walk, and dine on the terraces, which look out over a landscaped green park and dense tropical trees.

Responding to the southern climate, the design incorporates extensive green roofs, shaded terraces, and outdoor dining areas that double as observation decks overlooking the adjacent ornithological park. These elevated platforms extend the learning environment into nature, offering opportunities for environmental education and wildlife observation.

A bright, double-height indoor play area with floor-to-ceiling windows showing palm trees outside. A large, stylized orange pelican sculpture sits in the center. Parents and young children interact on a clean white floor with suspended blue spheres overhead, near a gallery display of colourful children's artwork.

Sustainability is embedded throughout the project. Strategies include photovoltaic panels for renewable energy generation, CO₂ sensors for indoor air quality monitoring, abundant natural daylighting, cross-ventilation optimized through building orientation, rainwater management systems, and a continuous green framework that integrates the complex into the regional landscape.

Exterior perspective rendering of the school complex approach. To the left is the public-facing congress centre wing featuring dramatic angular glazing. To the right, an enclosed bridge spans over a wide asphalt footpath. Landscaped lawns with shrubs, ornamental grass, and palm trees frame the walk.

Designed to withstand seismic activity up to magnitude 9, and elevated to mitigate flood risk, the complex combines resilience with openness. Its public-facing layout allows individual blocks to operate independently as cultural or leisure venues outside school hours, reinforcing the institution’s role as a district-wide attraction and resource.

The project was a finalist in the «WAF Future Projects: Education» in 2025.

Project Gallery:

Exterior perspective rendering of an active school playground nestled between modern, multi-story buildings with white vertical slatted screen facades. Young children are running, climbing on frames, and riding a bicycle, while others carry a red balloon. Palm trees and green bushes decorate the landscaped area under a bright, sunny sky.
Interior rendering of the primary school’s high-ceilinged central atrium. Strong concrete columns support mezzanine walkways, and the ceiling is lined with warm wood slats. On the left, a large concrete structure features tiered wooden steps where students sit and socialise. Circular grey seating pods are scattered across the floor.
A bright, double-height indoor play area with floor-to-ceiling windows showing palm trees outside. A large, stylized orange pelican sculpture sits in the center. Parents and young children interact on a clean white floor with suspended blue spheres overhead, near a gallery display of colourful children's artwork.
High-angle digital aerial rendering of the completed school campus. It reveals a series of interconnected, light-wood and white building blocks featuring intensive green roofs. The school borders a lush, green woodland and a natural wetland pond (ornithological park) with a system of walking trails.
Rendering of a dynamic outdoor terrace featuring wide wooden staircases that function as cascading spectator seating and dining decks. Groups of students and teachers sit, walk, and dine on the terraces, which look out over a landscaped green park and dense tropical trees.
Exterior perspective rendering of the school complex approach. To the left is the public-facing congress centre wing featuring dramatic angular glazing. To the right, an enclosed bridge spans over a wide asphalt footpath. Landscaped lawns with shrubs, ornamental grass, and palm trees frame the walk.
An axonometric 3D diagram mapping out the functional zoning across the entire school complex. Color-coded blocks represent "Preschool education" (light yellow), "Primary school" (pink/purple), "School-wide premises" (orange/red), and "Secondary and high school" (pale yellow). Dozens of individual rooms and clusters are labeled with leaders.

Source: v2com newswire

Cite: “The Educational Campus, Sirius, Russia / ATRIUM 31 August 2026. GLSN. Accessed . https://theglsn.com/the-educational-campus-sirius-russia-atrium/

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