Inches Geleta

Description

The project extends the Viganello elementary school in order to provide space for a canteen and an after-school activity room for around 100 children. The scheme expands on a 1974 design by local architect Pagnamenta, adding a lightweight rooftop extension that is formally and materially in keeping with the old building. A neatly defined steel frame picks up on the scale, rhythm and colour of the existing concrete façade, while a recessed and fully-heated glazed box rein-states the layout of the floor space below it. The latter features a rooftop vegetable garden to the south and a sheltered area to the west, adjacent to a room offering flexibles spaces for extracurricular activities. The construction concept was conceived according to sober and rational considerations with the aim of optimising the construction site dynamics on the one hand and guaranteeing the required flexibility on the other, in anticipation of any expansions or interaction between spaces. The modularity of the prefabricated construction made it possible to achieve economic and logistical advantages, meaning a significant reduction in construction time. Therefore, there were benefits in terms of the economics, inputs and ecology of the construction site and, last but not least, for integrating the work programme into the school calendar.