Italian school becomes community hub after hours
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In Settimo Torinese, Italy, the newly opened Rita Levi-Montalcini and Margherita Hack school now serves the local community beyond school hours.
The public school, designed for an infant school and primary school, welcomes residents starting at 4:30 PM with facilities like a library, coworking spaces, meeting rooms, and a gym-auditorium. City officials in Settimo Torinese envisioned the school as a “civic center” to provide cultural resources in the Borgo Nuovo neighborhood, which has around 12,000 residents.
The new complex replaced a 1970s school building and covers over 11,000 square meters. It houses the Rita Levi-Montalcini infant school for 114 children and the Margherita Hack primary school for 257 students. The schools are named for two prominent Italian scientists, honoring their contributions to knowledge and exploration. Beyond traditional classrooms, the school features 20 modular classrooms and eight labs for subjects like STEM, music, and art.
It also includes a Snoezelen room, a multisensory space designed to provide a calming environment for students with autism, that will be open to the public. The school also prioritises accessibility through the use of augmentative and alternative communication in its signage. An educational garden further extends learning outside of the classrooms. The building was constructed to meet Nearly Zero Energy Building standards, significantly reducing energy consumption compared to the previous school.
