Renovation of a former factory in Laveno-Mombello and design of an innovative kindergarten
Can fairies live among the imposing remains of industrial architecture? The project concerns the design of an innovative kindergarten, within a wider scenario of recovery and redevelopment of an industrial lot. The design opportunity is the redevelopment of the former Ponte ceramics factory in Laveno-Mombello, a town on the border between Lombardy and Piedmont on the shores of Lake Maggiore.
Local
Italy
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Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
As an individual in partnership with other persons
First name: Andrea Giuseppe Last name: di Stefano Gender: Male Age: 27 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Italy Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via Carlo Vittadini, 9 Town: Milano Postal code: 20136 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 388 181 9797 E-mail:andreagiuseppe.distefano@polimi.it
This project demonstrates the possibility of transforming an impressive industrial heritage into a space for the community and shows how this these infrastructure can be compatible with a zero-emission society. The case study is the former pottery Ponte in Laveno-Mombello, a 27,000 sqm complex built in the early 20th century that, after its decommissioning, fell asleep on the banks of Lake Maggiore. While the Ponte factory had an architectural and historical relevance (some of its ceramic products were designed by the famous architect and designer Gio Ponti), the logic of adults did not yet manage to wake it up from its deep torpidity. Only in the logic proper of childhood, this place can still be something else: for children, space is exploration, an ongoing and limitless opportunity, a background for their adventures. Retrofitting the Ponte pottery means giving it a new life, opening this architectural complex to childhood, and transforming one of Europe's most impressive industrial architectures into a kid-sized whole new campus idea. Our vision approaches the kindergarten as a window towards a society where human connections and active participation in urban life enrich individual growth. Following the Reggio Children approach, the space offers children food for thought and inspiration. Children should interact with the place as a safe, curious and ever-changing environment. These spaces are created inside the proper factory and become an opportunity to reconnect the site to its surrounding by combining reused spaces and new buildings with a view to sustainability according to EU models, preserving and enhancing the relationship between the territory and its history. The project for this pottery is a blueprint for the rehabilitation of similar architectures, widely diffused in town and cities across Europe to convert abandoned industrial areas into multifunctional centres that are open to the community, promoting socialisation and supporting cultural activities.
Factory retrofit
Educational facilities
Industrial heritage
Children's campus
Flexible spaces
The project respects the zero land consumption objectives, retaining the carbon budget invested in the construction of the factory and demolishing only those buildings in a serious state of disrepair. In fact, the existing structure is exploited for the placement of the new services, experimenting with new spatialities for the education spaces. Our approach to environmental sustainability follow the Mean, Lean, Green approach. Mean implies reducing consumption and demand for raw materials and energy through better design that exploits passive strategies. In project detail, the envelope is optimised to reduce solar loads without excessively decreasing them during the winter season. Enclosure and finishing materials favour those of regional origin, with high recycled content and a certified production process (Environmental Product Declaration or Cradle to Cradle), considering the material's carbon footprint. The external finishes are chosen to mitigate the heat island effect. Moreover, green roofing or semi-permeable materials have been preferred on horizontal surfaces to reduce the load on the municipal sewage system. Lean introduces advanced systems to minimise energy consumption. High-efficiency generation systems are favoured, such as a water-to-water heat pump connected to the water table, which is easy to reach due to the plot's proximity to the lake. The air handling units will have heat recovery and high-efficiency filtration systems. To minimise drinking water consumption, low-flow sanitary facilities, grey water network and rainwater storage will be installed. Green envisages using renewable sources, preferably present on site, to cover the limited energy consumption resulting from the optimisation process of the previous two phases. It is proposed to integrate renewable electricity production to supply part of the electrical consumption of the heat pumps, integrating photovoltaic panels into the building envelope.
According to Loris Malaguzzi's vision (the initiator of the Reggio Children approach), the building shouldn't merely be the container for teaching activity but should invite to exploration and communication with the environment and between the people in the educational space. Social development is integral to cognitive development; the space must be designed to ensure that children and educators feel comfortable and develop the pleasure of doing together. It becomes the third educator, and the school building becomes the ever-changing set of the teaching programme. The building must therefore be as adaptable as possible to the needs of the users, designed as a living environment growing with children. In this scenario, the proposed design approach expresses itself through childhood dimensions categories. It is open, authentic, autonomous, sustainable and adventurous. The concept of our approach arises as to what the physical form of the classroom is, how it works, and what location it should have within the school space. Is it the designer's responsibility to crystallise in a defined spatial layout the teaching activities, the behaviours, and the relationships within the school? In our proposal, the classrooms are shaped like movable pavilions within the central area of the school thanks to the industrial carachter of the existing building. The possibilities offered by this design approach are manifold; the building is flexible during teaching activities but is also suitable for hosting events, workshops, and activities open to the local community. Ovoid shapes and comparable sizes characterise the movable classrooms; this choice favours the definition of a soft, non-fragmented space in which light and shadows mix with soft contrasts on the curved surfaces. On the other hand, the differentiation of forms enlivens the interior space by generating a higher number of configurations possible, while stimulating children's perception of the space they inhabit.
The proposed urban planning intervention intends to improve the usability of public spaces in the municipality of Laveno-Mombello, focusing on slow mobility and the redevelopment of existing areas. The urban masterplan intend the cycle-pedestrian path as its main element, conceptually reconnecting the city to its history and following what used to be the pathway between the different existing factories. This is a place of sociality for the citizenship, of recognisability and interconnection of the new green public areas and reconverted industrial heritage. In this way, a new system of public spaces and open parks is configured, characterised by widespread greenery, rest, leisure, educational and sport areas. This intervention stimulates slow mobility and connection between different areas of the city. Regarding the Ponte factory lot, it is planned to demolish only the buildings characterised by a poor state of preservation. Where possible, it is planned to re-functionalise the existing buildings in order to reduce land consumption. The freed area will be reallocated to public green public spaces, giving a new centrality to the lot within the city context. For this to be possible, the perimeter walls protecting the former factory will be demolished in order to make the area accessible from all directions; nevertheless, two crossing directions are favoured, the one coming from the city centre, which covers the entire extension of the lot, and the transversal one, connecting the Ponte district with the train station. The new park is a junction point for flows coming from the city and those involving the train station and the Ponte neighbourhood, but also a place for social aggregation and public activities.
The unspecified number of actors, stakeholders, ideas and interests involved in the architectural process represent a great opportunity for the project. Therefore, we analysed the population's opinion by asking them to fill in a questionnaire, obtaining results from about 10% of the population. A part of the questionnaire was dedicated only to the municipality's permanent residents, corresponding to 51% of the respondents. The residents' answers reveal a high perception of the quality of life. Nevertheless, the rating dropped concerning the perception of social life. The results show the problem of mobility in and out of the municipality is evident: around 77% of respondents travel to and from the city by car, while only 7% use the train. Respondents were asked to identify the positive and negative sides of the municipality to all respondents, residents and non-residents. From the results, it is clear how much the nature and landscape aspect is fundamental and highly appreciated by the population (81.4% indicated the natural element as the main strong point of strength of Laveno Mombello). The negative aspects are mainly in public and community spaces and cycle and pedestrian paths. Concerning the project area, design cues were requested related to the functional mix; from this question emerged a strong need on the part of the citizens for places of aggregation, spaces intended for young people and workshop activities, and spaces designed for sports and tourist accommodation activities. All the information obtained from the local population was taken on board and is the starting point for the design. In fact, the project presents itself as a new meeting point for the community, acting as a social aggregator. In addition, the new opening of the lot towards the train station and the new pedestrian path meet the needs (including environmental needs) to better support slow mobility.
The early-stage design was supported by a discussion with the local community, the municipality and the regulatory authorities. In this scenario, starting from our vision we discussed the project's feasibility with the municipality and understood how the regulations can absorb the key concepts of sustainability, inclusion and aesthetics. The engagement of local authorities was mainly about the new masterplan and its applicability according to the current regulations. Our proposal envision a new access passing through the former Ponte factory, strengthening the idea of the new public park in the central part of the lot. According to the municipality requirement and the economic sustainability of the intervention, it has been defined the potential functioning of the planned activities within the day and their best positioning. The portion of the lot facing the city is an attractive core due to the presence of cultural functions such as the exhibition centre and the hostel. The park, designed to remain usable all day long, will see a mixed use mainly during the daytime hours; it is thought that, through a suitable programming of activities, it can also be used for evening public activities. The educational use envisaged for the buildings at the end of the plot implies operation mainly during the morning hours. Providing a training centre with a cafeteria open to schools, educators and the community on the first floor, as well as a children's library on the ground floor, represents the desire to encourage synergy between the different functions and exchange between users, distributing activities throughout the day.
Numerous disciplines were intertwined to tackle this project, which is reflected in the collaboration that took place with different professional figures: town planners, architects, philosophers, educators, municipal administrators, project managers, etc. The project ranges from the scale of urban design to the detailed design of individual classes, maintaining a holistic and integrated approach. In particular, we consider the theoretical underpinning provided by the neuroscience study to permeate the entire project idea. Space becomes a reflection of a culture; a welcoming space will reflect a welcoming culture. According to our approach, certain recurring elements of the architectural structure manage to communicate the educational ideal referred to. One of these elements is the central plaza of the school. It is designed, just like the town square, to be lived in, experienced by adults and children, and modified if necessary. Another fundamental element is transparency. The continuity between inside and outside does not create barriers; on the contrary, it breaks them down so that not only the classrooms but everything is an educational place. Natural light, windows, and the strong presence of greenery communicate profound respect for 'the outside', understood as a resource and not as something to be kept away from. The school receives from the outside and expands outwards. According to this view, the use of cutting-edge technology - combined with a great deal of imagination - has made it possible to develop 0 to 5 classrooms around the main square, which can remain closed for work in small groups, connect for intersectional work, disassemble to leave space for free play. Everything leads to the definition of a child-friendly internal landscape that can change and adapt. It is the school structure that responds to pedagogical needs, not the other way around.
The innovative character of the proposed project stems from the idea of converting industrial spaces into training spaces for young children. The industrial heritage, in fact, has enormous potential in the educational aspect given its intrinsic architectural characteristics. The wide spans, the flexible spaces, the soft light coming from above in fact represent an enormous opportunity to reconvert such spaces into educational spaces. Furthermore, the project proposes a space designed entirely on a child's scale, demonstrating in a scientific manner how these can become catalysts for sociality and sustainability within cities. Child-friendly design in fact implies essential issues such as safe streets and paths, healthy and comfortable spaces, and total accessibility to all users. The project also presents a new concept of reconversion of disused areas. It does not seek to erase the industrial past, crystallise it in time or isolate it from everyday life, but rather proposes to modify it (with light and low-impact actions) by making it public and permeable, while exploiting the infrastructural connections it often has. Ultimately, the approach analysed presents itself as a re-appropriation of space by citizens, from a bottom-up design perspective and responding appropriately to the needs of the area, while keeping alive the link with its history.
The project is presented as a case study concerning the conversion of industrial sites into community centres of interest through a bottom-up approach focusing on the culture of childhood education. The case study presents a series of best-practice examples that can be reused in the most diverse contexts. The choice to act in a place so strongly characterised by disused places with a minimal childbirth rate is, in fact, not accidental. It demonstrates the feasibility and interest of the population and the public administration in how such projects are feasible. Furthermore, in line with European policies, the project is built around very high sustainability standards, demonstrating an innovative approach to the reconversion of industrial areas with a meager environmental impact. The first transferability aspect is related to co-designing with the local community, which has been included since the first project stages. The second aspect is associated with the reconnection and systematisation of industrial areas, which can be transformed from a limitation into an opportunity by working cohesively in the urban environment. The last point of transferability is related to the design of school environments based on principles of openness and community. The design of transformable classrooms is a prototype potentially applicable in any environment downstream of minimal interventions. The project can therefore be the first step in defining a multi-scalar and multi-objective framework to address the attractiveness of smaller and industrial centres. At the same time, by isolating the design theme from the urban planning theme, the project represents a first step for the innovation of school buildings with a view to inclusiveness and sustainable development.
In Europe, as in Italy, it is estimated that half of the population lives in urban centres, and flows to major cities do not tend to decrease. This assumption constitutes a major economic, social and cultural problem. This project therefore responds to the challenge of redeveloping minor cities with industrial identities, demonstrating how educational environments can act as attractors, while reducing the carbon footprint related to the construction of new buildings and land consumption. Moreover, the project proposal draws attention to the theme of education, particularly that of early childhood, trying to make people understand how important it is to qualify the spaces destined to host those very young minds destined to become the future of our society. An approach that sees in the attention paid to the formative moments of childhood as one of the possible solutions for compressing those degenerative spaces that sometimes characterise adult society, promoting paths of mental well-being and strengthening both psycho-physical security and imagination, expanding the domain of well-being. With an innovative approach, we emphasised the right of every child to express themselves in their languages. The proposed school building is an innovative architectural object, flexible, dynamic and able to change along with its activities; a space for the discovery and exploration of new pedagogical methods and new forms of relationship within the school and with the surroundings. An innovative, experimental, evolving pedagogy needs spatial support that promotes real interactions and synergies between the users and their environment. The school-atelier functions as a stage where students are the protagonists of an evolving story, they are actors, but they also produce 'the scene' in a space where they are constantly learning by doing.
