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In Brugnera, in the Italian province of Pordenone, a new elementary school reshapes a community
Location: Brugnera, Pordenone, Italy
Completion: 2023
Area: 2056 m2
Client: Brugnera Municipality
Architect: Settanta7
Consultants
Plant Equipment: Stefano Santarossa
Structures: Loris Borean
Sanitary Ware: RAK Ceramics
Paints: Mapei
Photography by Catalogo, courtesy of Settanta7
Settanta7’s brief was to modernize and expand the elementary and junior high schools in Brugnera, in the Italian province of Pordenone, to create a new hub and focal point for the local community. The first part of the project involves the Nazario Sauro elementary school, with work on the Antonio Canova junior high school coming later.
School building design is a focus of Settanta7, which has been awarded contracts for seven schools as part of the Italian Ministry of Education’s maxi-competition for the construction of over 200 schools throughout Italy by 2026 using funds from the National Recovery and Resilience plan.
With a design that creates functional, green connections between its buildings and the local residential area, the project for the Nazario Sauro elementary school has opened it to the community. The arrangement of the various buildings ensures that the school integrates into its setting, while also providing intimate interiors that encourage concentration and teaching activities.
The project involved the demolition of the main school building to the south of the site and the construction of a new building, connected to an existing structure, to the north. An extension will house eight classrooms, a canteen, a staff room, and a multifunction connecting space, with areas dedicated to socializing and individual study.
The school’s new design was inspired by an image of a cetacean, with glazed sections in the rectangular façades tracing out the shape of the large marine mammal, with the cladding projecting slightly around the openings.
The new complex therefore takes its basic shape from the previous building, but extends it further to the north. The classrooms are located along the east side, while the canteen and bathrooms are on the west. Furnished with organically shaped wooden tables and stools, the connecting space between the two is the functional center of the school, along with the service block and stairs with their blue metal balustrade.
With its cladding made from hard-wearing, eco-friendly, and insulating materials, the structure has high thermal performance. The use of teal for the façade cladding and roof underscores the references to the whale as the inspiration for the design.
Load-bearing structures are X-LAM panels, while the roof and floors are laminated wood beams, both materials that are easy to assemble, sustainable, and lightweight.
>>> Read about La Croze nursery school, designed by Rue Royale Architectes in Billom, France.
