Make school
Reconciling new educational concepts with dilapidated school buildings is currently one of the major challenges in educational construction. This is particularly true in Italy, where the desolate state of Italian kindergartens and schools has now become a media topic. As is so often the case, the reasons for this are to be found in budget cuts and an associated backlog of renovations. All the more remarkable is the design for the Enrico Fermi School in the southeast of Turin, where the two young Italian architects Alberto Bottero and Simona Della Rocca of BDR bureau have transformed an existing building from the 1960s into an open learning landscape covering 5579 square meters.
The project is based on the "Torino fa scuola" initiative, which was launched in Turin in 2015 and aims to renovate public school buildings. In addition to studies on the condition of the respective buildings and the development of new pedagogical concepts, the initiative also launches concrete architectural competitions and is financially supported by the non-profit research institute "Compagnia di San Paolo" and the Agnelli Foundation, founded in 1966 by the Agnelli family of entrepreneurs. To this end, "Torino fa scuola" examined, among other things, two school typologies, one built in the 19th century and the other in the second half of the 20th century. The latter, in the form of the Enrico Fermi School, served as a template for an architectural competition launched in 2016, which BDR bureau won.
"We wanted a project able to dialogue with the existing building and revolutionize its function at the same time. New spatial elements, transparencies and additions reinterpret the original structure with the aim of opening the school to the city," say Alberto Bottero and Simona Della Rocca about the renovation concept. To achieve this, they pursued two strategies: an uncovering of the building's structure and the implementation of an open learning landscape that is also linked to the neighborhood. The three-story building was therefore reduced to its reinforced concrete skeleton and then structurally and energetically upgraded. In addition, floor-to-ceiling windows were added that open onto the newly added steel balconies. The latter form new spatial layers around the existing structure and serve as an extension of the classroom, which is thus more closely integrated with the neighborhood. In addition, they provide summer thermal protection and shade for the classrooms.
For the spatial concept, the architects worked with a cluster arrangement and broke through the existing corridor typology. They then distributed open learning areas and individual clusters, each with four classrooms, a common learning room, a checkroom, and restrooms throughout the building. An open staircase serves as a vertical connecting element, which takes up the structure of the facade in terms of design and becomes part of the learning landscape as a plastic sculpture. In order to meet the demand for a connection to the neighborhood, additional functions such as a refectory, library, gymnasium and auditorium were accommodated on the ground floor, some of which can now be used by various associations. For this purpose, Alberto Bottero and Simona Della Rocca also arranged a new main entrance on the original rear side of the building, which now opens up to the neighborhood with its newly designed outdoor facilities.
In addition to the consistent spatial formulation of the pedagogical concept, the strength of the project also lies in the successful design of the school. To this end, the architects took their cue from the color scheme of the neighboring buildings and provided the reinforced concrete supporting structure with a grainy old rose-colored plaster that lends the building an additional plasticity. The furnishings also follow the color concept, with Alberto Bottero and Simona Della Rocca designing parts of the furniture themselves. Together with the staircase, which is painted red, these stand out as striking splashes of color against the white walls and light linoleum floors of the interiors. In addition, there are curtains with which the respective areas can be flexibly zoned. The fact that the refurbishment took less than a year makes it all the more clear that this is a successful case study – not least because the Enrico Fermi School was also nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award 2022. It is to be hoped that, as a pilot project, it will be a prelude that will be followed by other successful school refurbishments.
