The project stems from the Arezzo Municipal Administration’s desire to create a safe, modern, inclusive, and sustainable school facility. It involves the demolition and reconstruction of the historic “Cesalpino” school in the heart of the city, which is now obsolete and no longer meets educational and safety requirements.
Specifically, the current design solution was conceived with the primary objective of promoting:
• the reduction of consumption and polluting emissions;
• the increase of seismic safety in buildings and the development of green areas;
• the creation of suitable school environments through the involvement of all stakeholders to positively impact student teaching and learning;
• the sustainable development of the territory and services aimed at enhancing the community.
Geographical location and current state
The project area is located at Via Porta Buia No. 8, within the walled city of Arezzo.
The property consists of a single building with three floors above ground, plus a basement connected to the gym and its locker rooms.
The institute consists of 5 floors with an average height of 3.25 m and an average gross floor area of 940 sqm, for a total volume of 14,100 cubic meters.
The school was declared unfit for use following the results of the seismic vulnerability assessment (index 0.093) and remained closed for several years, with students and staff transferred to a building in the former Cadorna barracks complex nearby.
Architecture
The design solution presents a clear volume within the urban context, characterized by two garden terraces and a volume that projects into the park space, signaling the presence of the entrance. This latter structure screens the existing gym, which has an independent entrance.
The new volume is presented through clear and easy-to-read architectural principles and features; it highlights the regularity of the structural rhythm on the facade and deliberately sets back the glass and infill surfaces, resulting in a lighter appearance.
Colors drawn from the city’s architectural surfaces (such as the sandstone or “pietra bigia” of the Cathedral) and the surrounding vegetation complete the process of harmonizing and relating the work to the existing urban and environmental context.
The project, in its simple gestures, aims for: a non-intrusive volume, the promotion of green areas, and the resulting integration of the lot within the park-school duality.
In doing so, the new “Cesalpino” will be enclosed within a wooded and green area, resolving its integration into a sector that sees the close proximity of the “Francesco Redi” Scientific High School and the “Gamurrini” Primary School, alternating with parks and gardens.
Structures
The structural project involves the construction of a reinforced concrete frame, composed of columns and shear walls, with prefabricated hollow-core slabs and lightweight internal plasterboard partitions.
The choice to propose this type of construction also brings benefits regarding fire prevention, ensuring REI characteristics according to standards without the need for additional protection and, above all, future maintenance of the structures. The foundation will be constructed with piles and connecting beams designed to transfer loads from the superstructure to the cast-in-place bored piles.
Fire Safety
The fire safety project, in compliance with Presidential Decree 151 of 08/01/2011, has the following general characteristics:
• Site selection – The building is not located near activities involving serious fire and/or explosion risks, according to the provisions contained in the Ministry of Public Works decree of December 18, 1975.
• Location and site access – The school premises are located in independent buildings, and access to the areas is designed according to current regulations to allow for Fire Department intervention.
• Fire resistance – The fire safety height is 12.35 m; the load-bearing and separating structures guarantee fire resistance of R 60 and REI 60, respectively.
• Reaction to fire – For the remaining parts, Class 0 (non-combustible) materials are used; combustible cladding materials allowed in the various fire reaction classes are installed in adherence to Class 0 construction elements, excluding empty spaces or cavities; materials susceptible to catching fire on both sides (curtains, etc.) have a fire reaction class no higher than 1.
• Stairs and escape routes – There are three stairs connecting all floors, two internal and one external. The geometric-constructive characteristics of each of them assign them the function of an escape route for the occupants of the upper floors of the building.
• Fire safety equipment – Portable fire extinguishers are provided in numbers that guarantee the coverage required by the standard.
• Alarm – A system for broadcasting audible (bells) and vocal (loudspeaker) alarm status is provided: EVAC system. The system is supported by emergency lighting and all specific safety signage.
Acoustics
The building falls under category E – “Buildings used for school activities at all levels and similar” and is evaluated for compliance with passive acoustic requirements according to DPCM 12/5/1997 and UNI 11367 (superior performance of Appendix A).
The insulation levels from noise generated by continuous operation systems (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and discontinuous operation systems (elevators, plumbing drains, bathrooms, toilets, and faucets) are evaluated specifically to comply with the maximum sound pressure levels imposed by the standard.
