The town of Guastalla in northern Italy in May 2012 was seriously damaged by an earthquake. In place of two schools destroyed by the elements, a nursery was built, changing the usual ideas about modern "children's" architecture. The small building with an area of 1400 m2 is intended for 120 children aged 0 to 3 years. It really does not match the usual image of preschool institutions: no bright colors, cartoon characters and other "entertainment". Architecture for the little ones can also be quite serious, but at the same time informative and not boring at all - we are sure of Mario Cucinella Architects.
The building's construction is based on wooden ribs The varying dimensions of the "slots" in these planes form a dynamic interior space and define a strict, well-thought-out sequence of educational, play and communication zones. The spaces between the structural ribs are covered with glass panels, which ensures close interaction with the environment. Moreover, in some places, for example at the entrance, they are even left open and trees literally grow through the structure, almost completely obliterating the already fragile line between the environment and the interior. There are practically no color accents in the design, which is quickly corrected by the children themselves, dressed, as a rule, colorful and bright. But in the construction there is a lot of warm, living wood, surfaces of various sensations and other tricks that allow not to entertain the child, but to help him experience the world around him as fully as possible.
This world, of course, should be comfortable, environmentally friendly and completely safe, therefore the amount of equipment is minimized: natural ventilation works, and the thermal energy of the earth and the sun's rays is correctly used. Moreover, an advanced rainwater harvesting system used for toilets, cleaning and irrigation has more than halved the load on central water supplies, and rooftop solar panels provide up to 40% of the electricity needed. So the building also fully complies with the principles of sustainable construction.
