The design for the new “S. Lapi” Institute is rooted in dialogue with the surrounding natural landscape. The rich presence of trees, a defining element of the context, has guided every compositional choice, transforming the school into an organism able to merge with the vegetation and accompany students in an educational experience immersed in nature. Developed on a single level, the building is articulated into seven distinct volumes, separated by deep cuts that allow light and greenery to penetrate the interior spaces. This rhythm, combined with the variation in heights, lightens the overall mass and echoes the morphology of the territory: the classroom blocks extend southward toward the stream, while the gym is oriented in the opposite direction. The placement within the site has been carefully designed to respect and enhance what already exists: the new building occupies the central area, where the former school stood, preserving historic access points and improving connections with parking areas, drop-off zones, and pedestrian paths. Particular attention has been given to universal accessibility and the management of elevation levels, ensuring hydraulic safety and full usability for all users.
The interior spaces are conceived to go beyond the traditional classroom model, fostering continuity between indoors and outdoors. Large openable glazed surfaces extend learning activities to exterior spaces, whether in inner courtyards or in the clearings of the surrounding landscape. The atrium, the heart of the school, opens toward the auditorium and expands outward to host events and open-air lessons. Laboratories, the library, and the creative atelier are designed as flexible environments in close connection with the landscape, while the gym—equipped with independent access and dedicated parking—is intended as a facility also available to the community outside school hours.
From a construction perspective, the school adopts an exposed timber frame structure, both seismically safe and environmentally sustainable. Wood, the main material, ensures a low environmental impact, quick assembly, and the possibility of disassembly and reuse. Energy strategies combine passive solutions—such as the building’s orientation and a green roof for microclimatic control—with high-efficiency systems: heat pumps, radiant panels, ventilation with heat recovery, and a photovoltaic system to reduce consumption. The goal is to achieve performance levels exceeding NZEB standards, with primary energy consumption reduced by more than 20%.
