The group of buildings that make up the former Pere Vila School occupy part of the block bounded by the streets Passeig de Lluís Companys, Avinguda de Vilanova, Roger de Flor and Almogàvers.
Architecturally, it is organised into three buildings that form a U-shaped plan, with a central, lower body that is joined to the two side volumes by means of porticoed galleries and marks the axis of symmetry. The northernmost building is used as a primary school (CEIP Pere Vila), originally the boys' pavilion, while the southernmost building, currently used as the IES Pau Claris secondary school, was used for girls. The central building corresponds to the library, assembly hall and other community spaces.
The three buildings frame a large central space, originally landscaped, facing onto the Passeig de Lluís Companys and surrounded by a perimeter fence, where the only access from the outside is located. At the entrance is a sculpture by Josep Dunyach in honour of Pere Vila. The space next to the promenade is now occupied by two multi-sports courts - built during the 1960s - and a passage from the outside to the central volume.
The two buildings originally intended for boys' classrooms (north) and girls' classrooms (south) have the same volumetric characteristics, with an elevation organised into a ground plan, a semi-basement and four levels, with a tiled roof forming composite slopes. Both are symmetrical, with a chamfer at the crossroads of calle Roger de Flor and a formal decorative organisation and distribution of the façade openings that are identical. The incorporation of terracotta elements with floral motifs such as medallions, decorative bands, the four vases located on the eaves of the roof and on each side of the gable and, especially, the treatment of the entrance doorway to the buildings, stand out.
The main doorway is articulated with two pilasters as jambs and a lintel with mouldings as if it were a classical architrave. Above the architrave, on the tympanum, there is a terracotta decoration representing a medallion with the following inscription (very damaged): "GRUPO ESCOLAR PERE VILA CODINA" decorated with laurel branches. At the ends of the architrave there are two terracotta vases decorated with flowers and fruit.
The cladding of the complex is quite complex, as different solutions and textures are adopted to emphasise the horizontality of the façades. Each of the buildings has a tripartite division in the classical style: tall, wide windows and a vertical rhythm broken by the central pediment resting on volutes and reminiscent of the Baroque style.
At the semi-basement level, there is a simple panelling with a bush-hammered finish. On the ground-floor walls, a rendering is applied that imitates an isodome arrangement of ashlars, with smooth joints and imitating bush-hammered ashlars. On the levels corresponding to the first and second floors, the cladding is unitary up to the cornice described above, which emphasises the horizontality of the façade. All the cladding is enriched with sgraffito, terracotta and stucco, which provide a wealth of visual effects. They are the work of Francisco Canyellas, a regular collaborator on many of the architect's projects and a true Noucentista artist. He advocated the creation of a "beautiful school" and considered that aesthetic education helped to promote civic values.
The roof, with its four slopes, allows for the organisation of the level under the roof with a considerable height. The result is the creation of a large multi-purpose space inside.
One of the key concepts of this group of schools was their monumentalisation, which also made it possible to follow hygienist trends and provide the buildings with numerous spaces. The pavilions consist of five levels and communication between floors is by means of four staircases, the easternmost of which has been replaced today by a lift. Each level is organised around a central hypostyle hall which gives access to the classrooms and toilets around its perimeter. These spaces, which have now been extensively renovated, still bear witness to the numerous decorated structural elements such as beams and corbels, as well as the fountains with ceramic fixtures located on each of the floors. The floor slab system mainly uses iron beams and masonry vaults, except on the top floor where the wooden truss system is used to support the roof.
Some elements of the original furniture are still preserved, such as desks, blackboards and some cupboards.
With regard to the library and the theatre, the enclosure that houses them is located in the centre of the complex and connected to the boys' and girls' pavilions by means of porches. It has two levels, the ground floor is occupied by the library and the first floor by the theatre, which has an amphitheatre. The entrance door to the library and the mural decoration that crowns it – made by Canyelles – are particularly noteworthy. This decoration maintains the original iconography despite the repainting suffered in 1966. Another of the original elements preserved is the wooden railing with rounded edges to prevent children from slipping.
The amphitheatre's slope is stepped, with wooden benches forming the typical tiered seating. On the easternmost perimeter wall is the stage structure (made of wood and with side entrances) with an upper frame made up of two pairs of fluted pilasters supported by an architrave and a pediment. The tympanum of the pediment depicts, in relief, a theatrical face crowned with laurel leaves. The bichromatisation of the facings creates vertical rectangular panels that contain paintings depicting various characters from the comedy and theatrical spectacle.
The porches were built to link the library building with the children's building on either side. Identical in structure and decorative elements, they are built on a stone base. Five Tuscan columns support a simple moulded architrave, above which is the railing of the flat roof, which is supported by a system of handkerchief vaults. Terracotta vases are placed on each axis of the columns.
The Pere Vila school group is part of the group of municipal school buildings that began during the period of the Mancomunitat, but which were also useful for the cultural and, specifically, educational renovation efforts of the Second Republic. Its construction was made possible thanks to a financial donation by Pere Vila i Codina (Les Olugues, Lleida, 1860 - Rosario de Santa Fe, Argentina, 1916) and carried out under the direction of the architect Josep Goday i Casals, chief architect of the Culture Commission.
The project for the building was drawn up between 1918 and 1919 and approved in 1920, although work did not begin until early 1922 because the site on which it was to be built was occupied by workshops and warehouses belonging to the Eixample and Foment Commissions.
As with many other schools, work on the building was halted in 1923, with the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera, and could not be resumed until well into 1930. It was inaugurated on the 29th of March, 1931.
In 1966, various improvements were made to the buildings by Pedro Puigdevall Bosch, which modified elements of the interior furnishings and other more decorative aspects, such as the mural paintings. Just one year later, in 1967, the nursery and the outdoor sports centre, which replaced the main gardens, were inaugurated. In 1970, improvement and maintenance work was carried out on the paving, floors and electrical installations by three companies: Eléctrica Catalana, Francisco Closa Alegret and Arturo Lòpez.
In 1995, the administrative division of the two buildings took place and two different educational centres were created: the boys' building remained in the hands of Barcelona City Council and was used for primary education (CEIP Pere Vila), while the girls' building was adapted for secondary education and baccalaureate, under the ownership of the Generalitat de Catalunya (IES Pau Claris).
The work on the boys' building was carried out in two phases, the first in May 1996 and the second in June 1997 by J. A. Martínez Lapeña and Elias Torres Tur. These involved the modification of the ground floor and basement with the creation of new accesses, as well as the access porticoes to the corridors and stairs of each of the floors of the building and involved the installation of a lift, mutilating part of the stairs. Other general improvement works involved the enclosure of the staircases leading to the upper floors and the repainting of the walls.
As for the girls' building, the IES Pau Claris, in November 2000, similar works were carried out, in this case under the sole direction of the architect J.A. Martínez Lapeña. The access to the ground floor and basement was changed, unifying unevenness (a different solution to that of the other building), and the same solution was applied as in the neighbouring building with regard to the enclosures of the vestibules of each of the floors, maintenance work was carried out on all the openings, and the façades were refurbished. A lift was also installed in the easternmost staircase and access to the central corridor was limited, as well as general repainting.
In 2006-2007, improvements were made to install a new dining room and kitchen in the basement of the girls' building, and more recently the façades and roofs have been restored by the architect Marc Cuixart Goday, grandson of Josep Goday. The central building is still in the process of being refurbished (2012).
