New Bottanuco School Campus

A school is much more than a place dedicated to learning: it is an institution capable of generating relationships, strengthening the sense of community, and contributing to the quality of urban life. This project stems from this conviction, restoring the school building to its original role as a civic center and shared space.

The campus does not close in on itself but opens up to the surrounding urban context. The new square becomes a landmark for the neighborhood, a space where school life and city life naturally intertwine. Greenery, seating, and shaded areas invite people to linger, transforming this corner of the city into a vibrant and welcoming place at all hours of the day.

In addition to the school complex, the campus hosts functions open to the city: a library, an auditorium, a gym, and a large common atrium. These spaces remain available to the neighborhood, making the campus a permanent cultural and social hub.

The campus is organized on two levels that reflect two different ways of inhabiting the school. The primary school is rooted on the ground floor, in direct contact with gardens and courtyards; the secondary school is instead suspended on the first floor, overlooking the city and an elevated courtyard. Connecting everything at the heart of the project is the agora: a wide and flexible space with variations in elevation that invite spontaneous encounters and exchange between students of different ages.

Sustainability is a founding principle of the project. The building is constructed primarily of wood and natural materials, chosen for their low environmental impact and the quality of the spaces they help create. Energy is produced by rooftop photovoltaic panels, heating is provided by high-efficiency heat pumps, and summer cooling utilizes natural night ventilation. Rainwater is collected and reused, while native vegetation and permeable surfaces help limit overheating and restore soil permeability. The result is a building that lives in harmony with its environment and offers comfortable spaces in every season.

Classrooms are not simply rooms where students sit and listen. In the primary school, each classroom opens onto a private courtyard: a child-sized space, flooded with natural light, that becomes an extension of teaching toward the outdoors and daily contact with nature. In the secondary school, laboratories are designed to foster collaboration between different disciplines, with movable walls that allow spaces to be reconfigured according to needs. The wide corridors along the facade become places to pause, intimate corners for reflection and individual study.