Piero Angela School: A Return to Skholé

The design of the Piero Angela Primary School in Mantua builds on the concept of skholé by drawing on the insights of leading educator Franco Lorenzoni, who argues that the city must return to school just as much as the school needs to open to the city. Atelier(s) Alfonso Femia developed the project as part of Italy’s PINQuA housing quality program. Funded by Italy’s PNRR recovery and resilience scheme, the school was inaugurated in March 2026, with classes scheduled to begin for the 2026–27 academic year.

The 4,700 m² project integrates Montessori-based classrooms, a gymnasium, outdoor play areas, gardens, a lunchroom, learning gardens, an open-air courtyard, and a central student commons. A programmable roof deck accommodates additional activities and workshops. The boundaries between these indoor and outdoor spaces are blurred so that they complement one another and become what architect Alfonso Femia describes as silent teachers.

The dual meaning of skholé

The architecture of the Piero Angela School reflects a return to the dual meaning of skholé: leisure time dedicated to intellectual pleasure and a place for teaching. These values are synthesized through geometric forms, material palettes, and spatial distribution to create environments for living and growth.

The concept is further expressed through the blurred boundaries and partitions between the interior and exterior. The entire layout revolves around courtyards and gardens, but prioritizes the students and teachers themselves. “Architects have a duty to design projects that satisfy both the needs and the desires of a community, interpreting them through a responsible and generous vision,” Femia noted.

Spatial organization

“The Piero Angela School is built around flexible classrooms and green spaces, but it also reflects a predictive intelligence that anticipates future demographic trends and broader societal shifts,” commented Mantua mayor Mattia Palazzi. “We haven’t simply built a school; we’ve created a piece of the city.” The design follows the educational principles developed by Franco Lorenzoni – founder of the Cenci House-Laboratory experimental education center – whose work advocates for a reciprocal opening between a school and its city. Reflecting this, the building features two entrances to provide access from different parts of the city.

The Piero Angela Primary School is more than an educational facility; it is an architectural and urban landmark that acts as a social anchor for the broader community. The two-story, courtyard-style school features numerous hybrid, multifunctional spaces. The ground floor and 1,300 m² gym are designed to open toward the neighborhood. The upper level includes specialized workshops and a library with lounge seating and sofas for students and teachers.

Architecture as a catalyst for learning

Every space, from the fifteen large, reconfigurable classrooms serving 375 students to the various outdoor areas, is designed to support learning through doing and experimentation. The functional layout prioritizes both education and comfort, with the latter enhanced by a palette of soft, nature-inspired tones. This palette also links the interiors and exteriors.

This approach informs the school’s Montessori-based curriculum – offered alongside traditional instruction – as well as the surrounding green spaces and the accessible roof, which is designed for outdoor lessons and activities, including sports and play. The building’s L-shaped floor plan and the configuration of its various volumes create a series of sheltered, safe environments for students, including outdoors.

A material narrative

Soft green and blue tones on the building envelope and glazing shift with the angle of the sun throughout the day. Materials serve as a narrative tool, with faceted ceramic tiles, characterized by ever-changing reflections, juxtaposed with expansive glazing. In addition to the primary facade materials, lightness and mass coexist through the varying intervals of ceramic, polycarbonate, prefabricated panels, and metal mesh – functional layers designed for solar shading and climate mitigation. By design, the building envelope acts as a high-performance system for reducing energy consumption. This intelligent assembly balances transparency and opacity through high-performance, sustainable, and low-maintenance materials. The gymnasium roof houses the HVAC and photovoltaic systems.

“The school offers children room to breathe – an opportunity for them to learn by doing, to broaden their horizons, and to practice the act of imagining,” Femia concludes.

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