BESTA high school, Bologna 
The building is a lower secondary school. The Municipality of Bologna decided to construct it next to an existing school, which will be demolished to expand the park. The school’s layout was adapted to the organic arrangement of the park, aiming to preserve as many existing tree species as possible. This consideration led to a complex layout, where courtyards embracing the greenery intersect with the enclosed school spaces, creating a continuous interaction between the interior and the green views of the park. The building’s curved corners, cladding, roof, and vertical screens, in various shades of green, are compositional strategies that foster seamless integration between the landscape and the building, promoting a visual and functional harmony that encourages proactive environmental behavior.
The Municipality requested the development of a complex that would be open to the needs of the citizens, accommodating public functions alongside educational ones. The educational project envisioned a clover-shaped structure, where each “petal” is dedicated to a function that can also be independently used by the community. This design led to the school being nicknamed “Quadrifoglio” (Clover), with each petal assigned a specific purpose: exclusively educational for the school, mixed educational use for evening courses, dining hall and auditorium-library for both the school and the District, and finally a gym, also shared. In the mornings, the school uses all available spaces through the central connecting area, while in the afternoons and evenings, each of the four wings operates independently to meet the community’s needs.
The energy design of the building envelope and systems aims to achieve NZEB (Nearly Zero-Energy Building) certification, with particular attention to overall energy efficiency and the integration of renewable energy sources. This includes the installation of a hybrid photovoltaic field capable of generating both electricity and thermal energy with greater efficiency than separate solar systems.
Location
Bologna, Italy
Year
2024
Area
5500 sqm
Design team
Luigi Benatti, Martina Iafrate, Sara Stefanati, Pietro Benedettini, Costanza Dondi, Massimo Savini, Claudia Pacchiega, Carlo Rotellini
Client
Municipality of Bologna
Status
Concept
Visualization
Akash Moish/Pietro Benedettini
BESTA high school, Bologna
The building is a lower secondary school. The Municipality of Bologna decided to construct it next to an existing school, which will be demolished to expand the park. The school’s layout was adapted to the organic arrangement of the park, aiming to preserve as many existing tree species as possible. This consideration led to a complex layout, where courtyards embracing the greenery intersect with the enclosed school spaces, creating a continuous interaction between the interior and the green views of the park. The building’s curved corners, cladding, roof, and vertical screens, in various shades of green, are compositional strategies that foster seamless integration between the landscape and the building, promoting a visual and functional harmony that encourages proactive environmental behavior.
The Municipality requested the development of a complex that would be open to the needs of the citizens, accommodating public functions alongside educational ones. The educational project envisioned a clover-shaped structure, where each “petal” is dedicated to a function that can also be independently used by the community. This design led to the school being nicknamed “Quadrifoglio” (Clover), with each petal assigned a specific purpose: exclusively educational for the school, mixed educational use for evening courses, dining hall and auditorium-library for both the school and the District, and finally a gym, also shared. In the mornings, the school uses all available spaces through the central connecting area, while in the afternoons and evenings, each of the four wings operates independently to meet the community’s needs.
The energy design of the building envelope and systems aims to achieve NZEB (Nearly Zero-Energy Building) certification, with particular attention to overall energy efficiency and the integration of renewable energy sources. This includes the installation of a hybrid photovoltaic field capable of generating both electricity and thermal energy with greater efficiency than separate solar systems.
Location
Bologna, Italy
Year
2024
Area
5500 sqm
Design team
Luigi Benatti, Martina Iafrate, Sara Stefanati, Pietro Benedettini, Costanza Dondi, Massimo Savini, Claudia Pacchiega, Carlo Rotellini
Client
Municipality of Bologna
Status
Concept
Visualization
Akash Moish/Pietro Benedettini
