Description

The large school complex comprises separate wings that extend north and south of a 210 m long central axis and house classrooms for pupils of different age groups, from pre-school to upper secondary level. The sports hall, library, refectory and assembly hall are shared facilities, and the admin and teachers’ rooms are grouped together in the main building at the entrance. From within the school, the long, enclosed common courtyard that extends the length of the school appears homogenous and unified. Outside, however, the building has a fragmented appearance, except when standing in front of the imposing entrance portico on the east side which, with its regular row of pillars, is visible from afar. Behind it, however, the wings on the north and south side project outwards on either side in varying number and length, so that the different parts of the school open either onto the Po Delta or the foothills of the Apennines in the distance.

The structure of the Po Delta, that large, fertile “Garden of Italy” between the Alps and the Apennines, has traditionally been defined by the longitudinal axes of the great river and the Roman Via Emilia and the transverse axes of the rivers flowing out of the mountains, which in turn have determined the pattern of cultivation and drainage as well as the distribution of towns across the plain. The architect sees the original structure of the Po Delta as being threatened by suburban sprawl, infrastructure for commerce and logistics and the decay of the old agricultural buildings. His design for the school therefore makes reference to the historical structure of this cultural landscape – for example by aligning with the Cardo and Decumano of the landscape, the Via Emilia and Strada Langhirano. The long internal courtyard pays homage to the cloisters of monasteries which, as historical spaces of study and knowledge, were both open and closed, and helped shape European culture and cultural landscape.

The school was realised at an almost absurdly low price of 1300 €/m².

Originally published in Bauwelt 14.2020, pp. 40-45, abridged and edited for Building Types online, translated by Julian Reisenberger

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