> Sense of Place, Sustainable Architecture, Architecture & Pedagogy

The requirement for this project was to build a 6-classrooms kindergarten, to be completed in two phases, giving prominence to the existing natural landscape, to the environmental impact, to sustainable building solutions and to pedagogical issues. The project is strictly influenced by the surrounding landscape; the entire building with its main glass façade is oriented toward South because of bioclimatic reasons (radiant heating and solar photovoltaic modules); the space between the façade and an opposite green artificial hill, creates a corridor which frames the background agricultural landscape. The Outdoor space flowing into the school has a psycho-pedagogical function since children feel comfortable with the view of a familiar landscape: Learning is made easier. The school is a symbolic centre for the life of the children and it becomes a landmark because of the Rainbow Façade, an element for playing and a stimulus for the fantasy. Materials and colors have some pedagogical purposes with particular interest to visual, acoustic, haptic, olfactory and ecological qualities. The activity rooms are set into a higher glass curving volume; their structure is made of timber while the envelope is made of rough lime plaster and the finishing floor is linoleum; common floor spaces are covered with solid Oak (indoor) and Ipè (outdoor); the cladding for the facility spaces is made of a reddish-brown copper. Each activity inside the school has its own peculiar space for color and materials so that the children easily understand differences and hierarchies among the spaces. The building develops horizontally throughout the allotment: the high glass volume acts as a plaza for the common activities while the classrooms and the facility spaces (service department, teachers' office, parents' room and storage) are set into it.