In-Nova Schola

The context, defined by the Gran Sasso to the north and Mount Sirente to the south, coupled with a shortage of landscaped spaces in the neighbourhood, suggested the idea of a diffuse school whose buildings interact with their surroundings in a comb-like morphological alternation of indoor and outdoor space.

The project is born of a dialectic relationship: between elements characteristic of “sound” and the stereometry of essential volumes, translated into the decomposition of functions into pavilions, stitched back together by a linear though changing path, which reproposes the dilations and contractions of sound. A rhythmic succession marked by repeated elements similar to a musical score and animated by blades extending out to connotate space and define the sequence of functions.

Open spaces are organised in patios, gardens and parks. The patios are private areas, informal spaces for relaxing, free time and encounters. The gardens are spaces to be explored, where children can interact with lessons and learn from the environment. The parks, finally, are spaces for sport, for the scholastic and local community (the roof is a public space that is also accessible outside of normal school hours). The presence of different species makes nature a device of orientation and communication.

Two entrances are located in the north part of the site on different levels. The level change permits access to the school from below, and to the public park from above, separating flows. A third point of entry, between the auditorium and the gym, transforms the building into a multiservice structure that can remain open after school hours.

By stimulating the senses, tactile elements – a door or special paving for the sight-impaired – foster inclusion and collaboration among young children. Multiples of the base unit identify common areas (the space of experience and the “agora”), while sub-multiples define personal spaces (for relaxing and meeting). Circulation space connecting the diverse functional areas resembles an “itinerary” that expands into the spaces of the agora (the entrances to the primary and nursery schools, the cafeteria and the auditorium) and narrows at spaces of passage, in an alternation of points of encounter and informal areas that generates an open system designed to stimulate curiosity and a sense of community.