Petriolo, a small village located in the Marche hinterland, within an area of ​​considerable landscape and naturalistic interest, has chosen the international competition route, to secure a project in line with the new educational trends and respectful of the historical characteristics of the town.

The school area is located along a ridge, in an elevated position with respect to the more recent residential buildings and in visual continuity with the ancient village. The school complex stands as an external part of the village, overlooking the valley below.

The project strengthens the perception of this geographical feature of the area, placing a simple and compact volume at the end of the public path and making it a reference sign, not only for the town of Petriolo, but also for those passing along the road below it. With this objective in mind, the location and the shape of the volumes, together with the homogeneous treatment of the exposed brick surfaces, make the school complex recognizable, creating an immediate perceptive relationship to the historic portion of the village and giving it a precise identity, something a public place should always have.

The design explores themes already developed in previous projects by the studio, regarding the conformation of the spaces for teaching and the role of the school as a civic center, also open to the external community.

The project is funded by the Miur and will be implemented by 2022.

Design team

Studio Contini (Marco Contini e Sara Chiari)

Francesco D’Ercoli: structures

Michele Marconi: structures

Cesare Ascani: systems

Cinzia Ottavi: geology