ARCHITECTURAL FOCUS
Photo : Walter Vecchio
SCUOLA DEI DESIDERI
THE NEW SCHOOLS COMPLEX DESIGNED BY MCA – MARIO CUCINELLA ARCHITECTS AND LAP ARCHITETTURA , WHERE EDUCATION AND INNOVATION INTERACT SYNERGISTICALLY WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
An innovative school , designed in accordance with the wishes of the children , that interacts with its surrounding environment . Inaugurated on Friday , 31 May , the Scuola dei Desideri Mario Silvestri is in Pacentro , a village in the province of L ’ Aquila , one of the areas that were most affected by the earthquake that struck the Abruzzo region in central Italy in 2009 . The project required a total investment of 1.7 million euros and was paid for with the funds allocated after the earthquake from the “ Scuola d ’ Abruzzo – Il Futuro in Sicurezza ” plan [“ Abruzzo Schools - The Future in Safety ”] plan .
Beginning from September the schools complex , which is situated in the heart of the Parco della Maiella , a UNESCO Geopark , will function as an integrated ( primary and lower secondary ) school and a civic centre .
The new building is the outcome of a participatory design process . Those involved included MCA studios - Mario Cucinella Architects and LAP architettura , along with the associations Viviamolaq , ActionAid , and INDIRE ( National Institute for Documentation , Innovation , and Educational Research ), the community , and above all , the children , who were thus able to make their contribution to outlining the characteristics of their “ School of Desires ”.
Community architecture , serving the desires of the children and in dialogue with the environment The project for the Scuola dei Desideri Mario Silvestri originated from the intention to relaunch the territory of Pacentro , which has been affected over the years by gradual depopulation , and was damaged in the 2009 earthquake . The new building is therefore a safe , sustainable , innovative complex designed in line with the theory of learning Landscapes , according to which
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