Primary school and kindergarten

Olbia

2014

Design competition

first place

The lot is located in the southern part of the town of Olbia (Sardinia). The central part is currently occupied by two existing schools: the primary one (on the north) and the secondary (on the south); which are placed in direct communication through an air path, on the first floor, which cuts across the site. The new project redesigns the two fronts-road through canopies that, in some places, are in touch with the old school, defining the inputs, shaded areas and indoor space to stop and play. The spatial conformation of the new schools identify and track within itself a series of open courtyards that reshape the outdoor spaces of the whole lot, alternating (in view of the entrances to the schools, of the routes and rest areas) paved areas and tree-lined gardens . In addition, the linearity of the new complex regulates the disintegrated structure of the old school and the consequent lack of outdoor spaces perfectly identifiable and recognizable. On the north side of the lot the primary school is on two levels and connects to the existing one on the upper floor. The nursery school,that is at the south, is on one level and the system of external shelters allow a covered walkway between the two buildings, setting the exterior spaces and the entrance. The architectural shape of the two schools is very simple and immediate: two concrete slabs (covering floor and basement) "close" solid parts (school building) and empty parts (shaded areas and shelters). The full parts are separated by glass cuts that define the windows and the connecting spaces (hallways and lobby). In front of the openings there are places dimming systems: colored curtains, micro-perforated and waterproof that have a functional role for the darkening of the interior spaces, but they contribute to the continuing alteration of the new school prospects.