Demokratos: A Revolutionary Approach to School Design

Galina Milkova and Nedko Nikolov's democratic space within a traditional school

Demokratos is a renovation project of the "St. St. Cyril and Methodius" school hall in Sveti Vlas, Bulgaria. The new multifunctional hall embodies the principles of freedom, equality, and pluralism, typical of democratic education. The hall's flexibility allows it to transform into a social hub, a debate hall, a theatre hall, a cinema, a presentation hall, a training center, or even a canteen.

The design process involved a thorough research phase, including studying modern school architecture in Finland and Yaakov Hecht's book "Democratic Education". The designers faced the challenge of creating a space that transmitted democratic values while solving existing architectural and functional problems. The original function of the space as a canteen with a kitchen, later rebuilt into an event hall, had resulted in poor visibility of the stage and sporadic use of the hall.

The renovation includes the auditorium, the stage, and the lobby. The auditorium consists of a plywood amphitheatre, a computer centre for self-initiated knowledge with the Khan Academy platform, and a free area that can be re-arranged into various configurations. The stage features a metal ceiling structure with a mobile curtain to control the depth of the stage depending on the performance. The lobby retains its function as a lunch distribution and hygienic zone, with three oak benches suitable for children of all ages in the centre.

One of the unique features of Demokratos is the hanging installation "Tree of non-knowledge", which interprets Yaakov Hecht's idea of the universal knowledge outside the school curriculum. The installation is a metaphoric message that Demokratos gives children all necessary attributes on their discovery journey.

Demokratos was awarded the Golden A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2018, a testament to the designers' prodigy and wisdom. This innovative project significantly impacts the world of education design, embodying extraordinary excellence and advancing the principles of democratic education.