The University of Turin has been carrying out a comprehensive renovation since the early 1990s: all of its faculties are gradually moving into new buildings erected on the territory of the former industrial zone on the southern bank of the Dora Riparia River. The complex, designed by Norman Foster, should put an end to many years of reconstruction: this object can be compared with the last piece of the puzzle, with the appearance of which the canvas entitled "Campus of the University of Turin" will finally be completed.
The buildings of the faculties of law and political science are interpreted by the architect as elements of one geometric figure: in the plan they form an elongated triangle. Its inner space is used to create a pedestrian square, and the main passage to it is organized from the side of an acute angle, which the authors of the project do not deliberately close. The rounded corners of the buildings give this arcade its characteristic teardrop shape, and the square is perfectly round.
Along the northern border of the site, parallel to the river embankment, there is a 4-storey library building, while the other two sides of the "triangle" form educational buildings. Each of them has its own entrance from the side of a round square, but the structure of both is generally similar: on the ground floor there are lecture halls, cafes, public spaces, and auditoriums occupy the upper levels. The layout of educational buildings has been made as flexible as possible: for example, the main auditorium of the complex, designed for 500 seats, can be transformed into two separate halls for 250 people each. There is a small garden on the roof of the Faculty of Political Science - a place for philosophical reflection, as the authors themselves position it. Also around the campus there is the "Philosopher's Way" - a walking route included in a developed network of pedestrian paths connecting the university buildings with a landscaped embankment and public transport stops.
Designed in a unified architectural style, the buildings also have a common roof made of PTFE membrane and due to its “fabric” texture has already been called “hood” by the Italian press.
The new complex of buildings of the University of Turin is designed for 5 thousand students. And it is named after an economist, politician and one of the presidents of Italy, Luigi Einaudi, who was a graduate and then a teacher of this university.
