High School within the San Giusto Educational Complex
Colucci & Partners has recently completed the construction of a new school building in the San Giusto complex in Prato. The school is designed to be a reference point for the entire educational village, situated as the last of several existing institutions and spread over two floors, covering 610 sqm.
“Great attention to diverse educational needs and inclusivity has characterized the project from the concept stage, with the aim of creating a school for everyone, featuring various connective spaces,” explain the architects.
On the ground floor, there is a spacious entrance area with double-height ceilings adjacent to the reception, along with five classrooms for regular activities, a soft classroom for students with disabilities, a restroom block, and a staircase leading to the upper floor, where technical systems have been installed. The upper floor includes another five classrooms, a large connective space, a teachers’ room with archives, and additional services.
The school presents itself as a compact architecture that engages with the industrial spirit of the city, choosing to animate the simple, regular volume through a perforated and corrugated metal facade interpreted as a fabric, resting on a base made of modular concrete panels. The recessed openings further define three facades, emphasizing their plasticity and play of light.
The project also includes the landscaping of the outdoor area, with new paving, seating, and trees, allowing students to enjoy a recreational area before and after school hours.
Technology
The building's structural framework is made of wood using platform technology, for both vertical and horizontal partitions. The foundation consists of a reinforced concrete slab resting on an existing bed of quarry material; the opaque external surfaces are insulated with high-density rock wool panels.
The exterior finish is made of perforated and corrugated metal, except for the base and the frames of the openings, which feature a cladding of aquapanel-type fiber cement, the same as the recesses present on the facades. The choice to use perforated and corrugated metal gives a sense of lightness and transparency to the building while also recalling the industrial appearance of the context, echoing the theme of fabric as an element of Prato’s tradition.
The transparent surfaces are made with thermally broken aluminum frames with low-emission and solar control glazing and a shading system with Venetian blinds inside the glass cavity. Inside the building, natural and eco-friendly materials have been used, such as double-layer gypsum board walls, ceilings with Celenit-type wood fiber panels, and gypsum board sheets. The floors are made of porcelain stoneware, while ceramic materials are used for the bathroom finishes. The interior surfaces are painted with breathable, anti-mold paints.
“The project is conceived as a place that can become a reference point for the entire educational village, offering a social service and a space for socialization for students and the entire community,” conclude the architects.
