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The Architect presented the project during the first day of ECOBUILD London 2011

Mario Cucinella was one of the leading architects at ECOBUILD 2011 (http://www.ecobuild.co.uk/), the world biggest event for sustainable design, construction and built environment (at Excel from Tuesday 01 to Thursday 03 March 2011).

Mario Cucinella with Dott. Bruno Milanesio – Chief Executive of NUV (Nuova Università Valdostana) Srl –  and Professor Salvator Roberto Amendolia – Scientific Attaché Embassy of Italy –  presented to the press the architectural project for the new University Campus in Aosta, Italy (Nuova Università Valdostana). The project is based on sustainable principles and energy efficient strategies.

University campus of the Valle d’Aosta Recovery and Transformation of the ex military barracks Testafochi

Aosta, Italy, 2010. MCA was assigned by the New University Valdostana to perform the restoration and processing on a total area of 56,302 sqm of the ex military Barracks Testafochi.

The area of intervention is limited into an important and crucial part of the urban area, thus the challenge to face the concept of campus, so as to meet all functional requirements (The university will have to be able to host 2000 students) and simultaneously, to be highly recognizable as a Landmark of the contemporary city of Aosta. The new intervention strengthens the cultural activities, increases the heritage of green areas, and creates a system integrating within the city.

In the university is privileged the organization of functions. Each building has, therefore, its functional autonomy. The general appearance of the building “wholly in cantilevered” combines lightness and transparency of shapes and materials.

The entire complex has been developed with a thorough and careful research of energy efficiency.

The Site

The area of intervention is located in an important and crucial strip of urban land in the city of Aosta, a hinge between the old town surrounded by Roman walls and the expansion area of the city (district of Cogne) to the west, has the form of an elongated rectangle that has a surface of 25,000 sqm and is fully enclosed, as it is a military area that is not yet abandoned, with a high fence that prevents it from view. The complex, called the barracks Testafochi, is bordered on the north by way Pasubio Monte, on the east by Via Monte Solarolo, on the south by the Piazza della Repubblica and by Via Monte Vodice at the West. Four buildings are of some significance that characterizes and makes a “square” in defining the Piazza d’Armi: Beltricco the barracks built in 1886-87 to the north, that is faced by the Jordan barrack, south overlooking the Piazza della Repubblica; the Zerboglio barrack at east and the Urli barrack at West. Giordana, Urli and Zerboglio are coeval (completed and opened in 1935).

The Project

In the transformation of this area are at stake project components, which may be decisive for the success of a good integration between the university and the city, such as to provide a positive quantum leap to the configuration of two parts of Aosta separated until now by the “barrier” of the perimeter walls of the military area and finally to allow the redevelopment of those areas, being so far outside the margins of the barrier and that are characterized by its degradation and poor living conditions.The Campus is conceived as an open settlement, a place of knowledge and formation of culture in direct relation to the city. In this logic, the project opens to the town area of the ex-military barracks Testafochi making it permeable to the pedestrian mobility by adding direct connection with the ex Piazza D’Armi, functions and services (auditorium, cafeteria, shops) that are available to students and citizens. The role of the new architecture will be to organize and characterize the spaces giving the city a  place of great urban quality, while respecting the collective memory and the most significant pre-existing ones that will not only be preserved but also enhanced (Giordana and buildings Beltricco). At the macro level, the proposal emphasizes the organization in functions. Each building is therefore equipped with its functional autonomy, with specific use, designed not to generate overlapping functions that are incompatible and at the same time ensure flexibility of the buildings for possible future expansion. The element for resolving the definition of the project was the choice of demolition and reconstruction of the Urli and Zerboglio buildings: both had an unadapted structural configuration for compatibility with the optimal functioning of the teaching area, particularly for the variety of types of classroom demanded and to ensure the quality of distribution of spaces. On the other hand, the need to build about 600 underground parking places (that substitutes the deleted parking for the redevelopment of  Republic Square and the pedestrian street of Mount Solarolo) is distributed on two levels - against three initially hypothesized -. In the area north of the building Beltricco, aligned with the Tour Neuve, emergency monumental corner of the Roman city walls, in parallel with Via Monte Pasubio was located the new building for the student and related services, which faces south- - on an equipped and functional wide green area for the residential students and for visiting professors on campus. The entire complex has been designed and structured in close relation with the needs of the University of Valle d’Aosta (stated objective as optimal: 2000 students) that was established 11 years ago, has seen its membership grow significantly, and Courses address the degree and aims to implement its training become increasingly recognized as micro-generation universities able to relate effectively with the most advanced, offering national and international scene. The “team” planning is coordinated by the architect. Mario Cucinella of Bologna, a prominent figure in contemporary architecture, which is based on the stylistic lightness and transparency of shapes and materials combined with a thorough search for energy efficiency.