The 4.0 school of Borgo San Giuseppe stands out in the city: it features pure and elementary geometries for a functional and formal recognition of the building in its context. With an area of 4,626 square meters intended for around 463 students, the space promotes collaborative learning with flexible and reconfigurable environments to foster interaction, experience, and sociability. The project, which has won the Italian competition “Nuove Scuole – Futura” within the PNRR (National Plan for Recovery and Resilience), adopts Natural Based Design (NBD) solutions for greater environmental and ecological sustainability, with permeable and non-invasive surfaces.
The main didactic volume is characterized by a chromatic and material spatial modularity, interrupted by three recognizable volumes that house the Gym, Auditorium and Library. The intersection of these elements creates environments that are in turn flexible and contaminated by informal activities. The main route that connects the three floors of the school evolves inside the circular Auditorium, creating an interactive space that leads students to discover different dimensions of the educational landscape, while the volume of the Library houses a large terrace on which groups of students will be able to access recreational or informal learning activities. A further staircase also connects the second floor to the roof level, through a small patio.
The collaborative learning concept inspiring the project takes the form of an educational landscape with spaces for relationships and events of various kinds. The entrance path to the Mensa, for example, is enriched by educational gardens, so that students themselves can transform the cultivated products into dishes, developing education and awareness on nutrition.
The circular shelter in the center of the lot contrasts with the volume of the Library, creating spaces that allow you to experience the moment of learning in an alternative way. The large circular volume of the Auditorium accompanies, via a slight slope, towards the cavea of the amphitheater, hosting here a space dedicated to artistic expression. Finally, the volume of the Gym faces the park and is surrounded by a playground that offers alternative models for carrying out sporting activities.
