National Competition "Futura - The school for tomorrow's Italy"
The National Design Competition selected school buildings throughout Italy for demolition and reconstruction. One of the selected schools is located on the Amalfi Coast, in Agerola.
The architectural quality sought in the design of the new school is in the urban dimension of the building and in its ability to propose itself as an element of order and requalification of the context. Access to the school building is from three small pedestrian squares located at different points and at different heights, due to the natural terracing of the project area. The project works with simple volumes that recall an ancient urban dimension made of filter and intermediate spaces between inside and outside, with terraced gardens and pergolas.
An ancient urban element was recovered: a stone staircase that perhaps originally connected several cultivated terraces, and the area was also made accessible from this staircase. The roof terraces, as well as serving for the installation of photovoltaic panels, have been treated as green gardens equipped with pergolas, as a reminder of the ancient terracing.
Terraces are designed to be public places, also accessible from outside. The classrooms open directly onto a garden. The primary school is linked to the garden and, thanks to the external staircase, with the roof terraces.
The project volume was divided in such a way as to leave a free central space, previously occupied by the existing school building. The freed space has thus created a garden onto which the classrooms overlook. The opening of a portion of stone wall belonging to the old staircase has generated an additional point of connection and access to the designed spaces.
The activities of kindergarten are completely connected. The practical activities are separated by light partitions. No partitions or distributive spaces are provided.
