Polo scolastico ''Valerio Catullo'', Desenzano del Garda | Giulia de Appolonia - officina di architettura

The project for the Desenzano School Complex involves the construction of a middle school for approximately 500 students, complete with a gymnasium and auditorium, enabling the creation of a community center open to the public, based on a model of the school as a civic center.

The gym and auditorium buildings can be accessed via separate entrances from the school facilities to ensure integration with the community and use outside of school hours and the school setting.

The new building is situated on a lot that seamlessly connects to a major green space (the lake park), to which it is firmly integrated, and it extends in harmony with the surrounding greenery through careful control of its volumetric articulation, the creation of accessible paved or garden roofs, and the use of transparent materials, compensating through this integration for the limited size of the lot’s outdoor spaces. The terraces created on the roofs serve as a vital extension for the school, compensating for the plot’s limited size with nearly 1,000 m² of space; for this reason, they are designed as genuine outdoor activity areas with specific zones: an herb garden, an educational vegetable garden, and an orchard.

The street-facing façade is clad in a second layer of white micro-perforated sheet metal, which ensures privacy while lending the building an abstract, monolithic appearance.

The layout of the volumes forms a C-shape and alternates between one- and two-story sections, which interact around a central courtyard that serves as a spatial and distributive hub. This design accommodates the site’s topography and the need to close off or open up to different levels to achieve integration or protection.

Design team

Architectural design: EUTECNE S.r.l.; Arch. Giulia de Appolonia
Group leader: F&M ingegneria S.p.A.
Collaborators: Arch. Francesca Settembrini, Arch. Ana-Maria Aionesei, arch. Camilla Inverardi
Structural design; MEP; CSP : EUTECNE srl - F&M ingegneria spa
Site supervision; CSE: Arch. Giulia de Appolonia; F&M ingegneria S.p.A.

Supplier credit

Contractors: Rubner Holzbau S.r.l. (Group leader);  Techne spa;  O.C.M.L. Costruzioni Metalmeccaniche Lombarde spa
Cladding: Florim
Acoustic suspended ceilings: Celenit spa
Metal sunshades: Ecofin
Flooring: Florim, Mondo
Metal facade cladding and roofing: Sandrini
Roof system and garden: Daku
Waterproofing: Derbigum
Furnishings: S.T.F. srl, Mobilferro, Dexion
Windows and doors: Metra spa