The project for the “Tagliabue” kindergarten aims to be a new and discreet civic center, strategically located within the fabric of Villasanta, on the edge of the large Monza park. The complex is based on a layout with two architectural forms: a single-story wooden building housing the classrooms, and a two-story brick building accommodating spaces ancillary to teaching, administrative functions, and civic-oriented activities of the small school.

The composition is based on the contrast between the first building with a public vocation, compact and inviting, and the second volume, serene and inclusive, where teaching takes place. The curved walls of glazed bricks in the civic building identify it as the school’s entrance, making it easily recognizable to young children. Upon entering, the agora welcomes us into the volume supporting the teaching activities, where the administrative activities and laboratories are located on the ground floor. The double-height space is airy and suitable for performances and complementary educational activities. A large central skylight brings natural light from above, while the entrance glass wall can be opened onto the square, making the building open to the community. On the upper floor, the laboratories are bright and characterized by curved and playful spaces that contrast with the orthogonal space of the balcony, where a small library is located. The large windows on the upper floor offer oriented views and optimal light conditions for laboratory activities. In the basement, overlooking an intimate green courtyard that provides flexibility of use and natural light, two laboratories create a different spatial experience from the other spaces in the complex.

The low-rise building is made of wood, with a rational comb-like distribution interrupted by service volumes that generate vestibules to the classrooms. The main corridor overlooks a dense green barrier that provides privacy for the children, creates plays of shadows and colors from the inside, hiding the low building from the school entrance square.

The classroom is a flexible unit, characterized by equipped walls and movable panels that allow for play and sharing with other children in the cycle, generating additional space for special activities. The complexity and flexibility enrich learning, and educational gardens find space in small common courtyards, allowing the child an initial intimate contact with the environment in an extension of the outdoor classroom. The calm spaces, which can be isolated from the main classroom by curtains, are always in visual contact with the green courtyards. Thus, the classrooms have well-defined areas in the project that intersect and aggregate flexibly in immersive pedagogical configurations. In this perspective, the distribution spaces host free, individual, and group activities that characterize experiential pedagogy.

The interiors, characterized by calm and soothing tones, are always in relation to the green spaces, thanks to the multiple perspectives and depths to the outside. Greenery is an important element of the project; teaching has as its backdrop and unfolds through different types of open spaces. All classrooms face the large rear play garden, a collective open space with trees, accessible to all children of the school.

The school green spaces include outdoor areas used by children for play and learning activities. The green spaces within the small shared courtyards are dedicated to education and environmental teaching: here, a small garden is cultivated with berry bushes and small fruits to be picked and tasted on site. The choice influenced the shape of the typological layout and distribution, as well as providing shading to the classrooms during the early hours of the day and quality to the play space. In summer, the rear garden and small green courtyards allow natural ventilation for the classrooms according to the principles of cross ventilation.

The classrooms are accessed from the main corridor, rhythmically punctuated by volumes housing services and storage space. Upon entering, there is an equipped corridor, the tidying-up space, where children have their toys and personal belongings. As mentioned, the classrooms can be configured in different setups depending on the activities. The possibility of “opening” them and making the classrooms communicative through movable panels provides extra space for shared, informal, or interclass play activities. The furniture is designed to optimize space: the large bench accommodates the mats that children are encouraged to take, promoting personal care, responsibility towards objects, and autonomy in small gestures. The large windows can be darkened with external blinds and an internal curtain system blocking the light during nap time. The calm space, designed to help the child decompress, overlooks a green courtyard, where the small vestibule or alcove can be isolated from the main space by a curtain.

• Assignement
  Project competition
• Status
  5th prize. Unbuilt
• Client
  Comune di Villasanta
• Budget
  € 3.315.000
• Size
  1.400 m2
• Consultants
  LVNG srl
  Vibes srl
• Team
  Marta Giulia Micheletti
• Images
  Vedo. architectural visualization