Mori-Brentonico Secondary School

The site project is in Mori’s North-East boundary; an Italian small town of about 9000 inhabitants between Rovereto and Riva di Garda. The first documents about this town date back to 800AD, it has a rich religious architectural heritage and produces high quality wines such as Merlot, Marzemino, Casteler or Cabernet. The site is in a low hill overlooking Brentonico’s plateau to the North. There is a Public path that runs along the north edge of the site leading to Mori’s outdoor sport facilities. The Comprehensive secondary Institute of Mori-Brentonico pursues the following aims for active inclusion of students in society, which means forming mature personalities, solid, informed and critical.

The design departs from a relational approach to the ecology of systems that govern the site: the plant system, topographical system, climate system, the visual-perspective system, the programmatic system, the energy system, the structural system, the system material, the aesthetic system, the experiential system and the cultural system. The designed structure of landscape paths to approach the site offers a rich variety of public spaces and inward/outward visual relations. On the ground floor, an open-air atrium constitutes the new centrality of the school articulating the access to the auditorium, the cantina and the teaching area. These four programmatic areas can function together and independently. A linear three level atrium organizes the teaching area circulation, landing gently to the landscape in a form of an agora. These spaces, the atrium and the agora offer a nomadic experience to the students, a rich variety of spaces for informal interaction.