The project for the new middle school in Ceranova is rooted in the desire to integrate educational architecture into an urban context defined by low-rise buildings and wide-open spaces, transforming the institution into a literal “village in the woods”.
The morphology of the building echoes the residential forms of the neighborhood, featuring low volumes and pitched roofs that minimize visual impact while creating a human-scale environment. The natural landscape is the heart of the intervention: a perimeter forest open to the public merges with internal courtyards and patios reserved for teaching, where existing birches, maples, and oaks are preserved and integrated with new herbaceous species.
This symbiosis between the built environment and nature allows students to experience the rhythm of the seasons through changing colors and scents, making the school environment a natural stage for learning.
Village Middle School
LOCATION Ceranova, Italy
TYPE New Build / School
YEAR 2023
STATUS Competition / 6° place
CLIENT Municipality of Ceranova
The spatial organization of the school moves beyond the traditional concept of closed classrooms to embrace a dynamic and flexible pedagogical model. The structure is divided into three macro-areas: the entrance and administration, the educational wing, and a multi-purpose area open to the community.
Thanks to a system of movable panels, classrooms and laboratories can expand toward distribution paths and outdoor patios, turning corridors into spaces for laboratories, workshops, and social interaction.
The patios, in particular, serve as “outdoor classrooms” where students can tend to small flowerbeds, promoting an educational experience based on relationships and “learning by doing”.
The hierarchy of spaces is clearly legible through the rooflines, which mark the entrances and the integration of areas intended for extra-curricular use, such as the library, canteen, and auditorium.
From a technical and structural standpoint, the building is an exemplar of sustainable and biocompatible architecture.
The construction choice utilizes glulam (glue-laminated timber) and FSC or PEFC certified CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) panels, a technology that drastically reduces carbon emissions and accelerates construction times through off-site pre-assembly.
The external cladding in brick ensures high thermal insulation, resistance to external agents, and breathability.
Inside, the use of natural linoleum flooring with zero emissions and sanitizing photocatalytic paints ensures a healthy, non-toxic, and hypoallergenic environment for students and teachers, maintaining high standards of hygiene and ease of maintenance.
Energy efficiency is guaranteed through the use of renewable sources and innovative solutions for microclimate control.
The school is equipped with a low-enthalpy geothermal system for radiant floor heating and cooling, minimizing consumption and CO2 emissions. A fundamental role is played by the green roofs, which act as a natural thermal buffer: they maintain stable temperatures in both summer and winter while reducing noise pollution.
The entire building is managed by a Building Management System (BMS) that optimizes LED lighting and water consumption, while a rainwater harvesting system provides irrigation for the gardens.
Large windows equipped with roller blinds complete the project, ensuring optimal regulation of natural light and a constant visual link with the surrounding woods.
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