Giardino Pozzati Kindergarten
The new kindergarten in Giardino Pozzati, Bologna, emerges as a tangible response to a shared vision: that of a school architecture capable of becoming public space, educational environment, and a living organism within the urban landscape. Not just a functional building, but a relational infrastructure for the community.
Embedded in a green area already recognized by the neighborhood as a valuable resource, the school integrates into an existing educational system, establishing a dialogue with the nearby “Futura” school and the adjacent park. It avoids creating barriers and instead opens up connections.
The design process stems from an extensive participatory path involving citizens and local administration, embracing the needs of the context as a founding principle of the project concept.
The architectural composition is shaped around the child: a single-storey building conceived as a system of recognizable microcosms, arranged and interwoven around a central shared relational space.
Each unit opens outward through large glazed openings, covered walkways, and gardens, dissolving the boundaries between indoor learning and the natural environment. The built space is never enclosed in itself—it is porous, permeable, and inclusive.
This is an architecture that supports children in their journey of discovery—of themselves and others, of inside and outside, of the small and the vast.
The spatial quality is supported by a technical approach focused on sustainability and energy efficiency.
The structure is made of X-Lam cross-laminated timber panels for the vertical load-bearing walls, and glulam (glued laminated timber) for the horizontal elements.
The exterior cladding features an insulated render system (ETICS) with varied color tones that emphasize the volumetric articulation of the building.
The building systems are designed to meet energy class A4 standards.
Location
Bologna, Italy
Year
2024
Design team
Luigi Benatti, Sara Stefanati, Martina Iafrate, Pietro Benedettini, Davide D’Ovidio, Patrizio Chiavarini, Massimo Savini, Claudia Pacchiega, Andrea Talevi
Consultants
Chiara Utili
Client
Municipality of Bologna
Status
Completed
Photo
Fabio Mantovani
Giardino Pozzati Kindergarten
The new kindergarten in Giardino Pozzati, Bologna, emerges as a tangible response to a shared vision: that of a school architecture capable of becoming public space, educational environment, and a living organism within the urban landscape. Not just a functional building, but a relational infrastructure for the community.
Embedded in a green area already recognized by the neighborhood as a valuable resource, the school integrates into an existing educational system, establishing a dialogue with the nearby “Futura” school and the adjacent park. It avoids creating barriers and instead opens up connections.
The design process stems from an extensive participatory path involving citizens and local administration, embracing the needs of the context as a founding principle of the project concept.
The architectural composition is shaped around the child: a single-storey building conceived as a system of recognizable microcosms, arranged and interwoven around a central shared relational space.
Each unit opens outward through large glazed openings, covered walkways, and gardens, dissolving the boundaries between indoor learning and the natural environment. The built space is never enclosed in itself—it is porous, permeable, and inclusive.
This is an architecture that supports children in their journey of discovery—of themselves and others, of inside and outside, of the small and the vast.
The spatial quality is supported by a technical approach focused on sustainability and energy efficiency.
The structure is made of X-Lam cross-laminated timber panels for the vertical load-bearing walls, and glulam (glued laminated timber) for the horizontal elements.
The exterior cladding features an insulated render system (ETICS) with varied color tones that emphasize the volumetric articulation of the building.
The building systems are designed to meet energy class A4 standards.
Location
Bologna, Italy
Year
2024
Design team
Luigi Benatti, Sara Stefanati, Martina Iafrate, Pietro Benedettini, Davide D’Ovidio, Patrizio Chiavarini, Massimo Savini, Claudia Pacchiega, Andrea Talevi
Consultants
Chiara Utili
Client
Municipality of Bologna
Status
Completed
Photo
Fabio Mantovani
