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New school center (nursery + kindergarden) in Torino
Municipality of Torino, Italy
Archisbang (Marco Giai Via, Silvia Minutolo), Areaprogetti
structure _Areaprogetti, MEP _Areaprogetti, acoustics _Arch. Chiara Devecchi
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1.500 m²
morephōs
Il lotto di progetto, situato all’interno dell’isolato compreso tra via Pietro Giuria, Corso Massimo D’Azeglio, corso Dante e via Tiziano Vecellio, fino a pochi anni fa ospitava una scuola elementare recentemente demolita sia per via .
The project site, located within the block bordered by Via Pietro Giuria, Corso Massimo D'Azeglio, Corso Dante, and Via Tiziano Vecellio, until a few years ago housed an elementary school that was recently demolished due to the obsolescence of its prefabricated structure and the minimal adaptability of the spaces to new educational needs.
The new childhood center is designed around the importance of space, enhancing both the spaces dedicated to them and the participation of adults as a fundamental element in the growth process within the school and the family.
The designed building features a courtyard layout with the entrance located on the north side of the structure, accessible from Via Giuria via a pedestrian path. The design concept is based on two perpendicular axes that determine the public and private use of the building: from the entrance, the first virtual axis crosses the atrium, the internal courtyard, and the transparent laboratory space, reaching the equipped outdoor green space, which is open to parents, the neighborhood, and associations interested in educational and pedagogical activities related to childhood during after-school hours. The second axis, perpendicular to the first, connects the two sections, nursery and kindergarten, through the internal courtyard, which becomes an extension of the outdoor classrooms. This concept encapsulates the true essence of the Via Giuria center: experimenting with new models, exploring new perspectives in teaching, involving parents and cultural associations, and opening up to the community.
The compositional language adopted is in continuity with the surrounding urban environment and applies design criteria and material choices consistent with green building standards. The building is organized on a single level and is characterized by large glazed surfaces and a close relationship with the surrounding green spaces, particularly with the green tree-lined perimeter that encircles and protects the lot and with the trees in the internal courtyard, one for each class present in the center.
The heart of the project is undoubtedly the agorà, a large, loosely organized space that, in addition to serving as the entrance to the areas where the children are taken care of, also hosts spaces for teachers (meetings, planning, individual work, group work, relaxation) and a large area for free activities. Due to its generous size, it can also accommodate equipment for the first psychomotor, sports, and play activities for children aged 0-6.
An opening onto the kitchen, separated by a transparent wall, incorporates nutritional education into the growth process. Due to its public nature, this flexible space accommodates, in harmony with purely educational functions, counseling services, a secluded corner for breastfeeding, and the school library, with collections dedicated to themes of pedagogy, education, and childcare. It serves as a genuine place for exchanging experiences and facilitating relationships between families.
The spaces for children are defined but versatile, able to follow activities along the growth path and capable, through their architecture, of stimulating active and subjective engagement. It is an open laboratory that all the actors in the educational process build and experiment with together every day, utilizing its potential both indoors and outdoors. It is a laboratory of inclusion for the community and the neighborhood in which it is located, able to host activities that complement the educational offerings during after-school hours.
Particular attention has been given to the furnishings, designed to ensure adequate and diverse usability of the spaces in each area of the complex, with equipped walls and soft, informal furnishings that are also light and movable to reconfigure the environment according to the activities planned.