The New P. Ingusci School in Nardò: an innovative, sustainable Civic Hub open to the city
IC Polo 3 Ingusci
Nardò
The new P. Ingusci Secondary School is now complete. Designed by ATI Project and Archistart Studio following their winning proposal in the architectural competition launched under the PNRR Scuola Futura programme, the school occupies a site of over 7,100 square metres, replacing the former D. Hammarskjöld building, which no longer met current regulatory, energy efficiency, and seismic safety standards.
More than just an educational facility, the project envisions the school as a civic hub open to the surrounding neighbourhood: a place that engages with the urban context and extends beyond traditional education to accommodate cultural, sporting, and social activities, becoming a vibrant landmark for the entire community.
Facing the city, the building presents a restrained, compact, and seemingly austere appearance, drawing inspiration from the local architectural heritage. Its façade clearly defines the urban edge, conveying a sense of solidity, protection, and institutional identity.
The building is organized around a courtyard layout, creating a sheltered central space, with a spacious ground-floor hall designed to easily accommodate extracurricular and community activities.
Inside, the project embraces the principles of innovative learning environments: traditional classrooms evolve into flexible, welcoming, and modular spaces that move beyond conventional educational layouts. Each classroom also features a sheltered balcony, a true extension of the learning environment that allows for outdoor activities while establishing a direct connection with natural light and the surrounding landscape.
Multimedia classrooms and laboratories play a central role, complementing traditional teaching methods with new environments designed to encourage research, collaboration, and the integration of emerging technologies.
The presence of market squares and the proximity of the cycling network become key design elements, shaping the project’s urban integration strategy. The building adopts a courtyard layout, creating a protected central space dedicated to collective activities.
The project represents a synthesis of urban needs and educational functionality. Its architectural layout redefines the relationship with the surrounding context, establishing a network of connections that integrates outdoor spaces as an essential part of the built environment.
The courtyard configuration, together with the gymnasium that completes the perimeter, establishes physical and visual connections between the different functions. Meanwhile, the outdoor spaces are carefully organized to support learning activities and encourage shared use by the wider community.
One of the building’s defining architectural features is the pedestrian walkway connecting the main school building to the gymnasium, while allowing the urban cycling network to pass through the site.
Classrooms, terraces, laboratories, stepped seating areas, and informal spaces come together to shape a rich and dynamic educational landscape, where learning unfolds through individual and collective experiences, traditional teaching and hands-on activities, both indoors and outdoors.
The project creates a fully accessible and functional environment. The layout of the educational spaces incorporates movable partitions that allow classrooms to be easily reconfigured, while modular furniture enhances flexibility and adaptability. Universal accessibility is ensured through the elimination of architectural barriers.
To extend learning beyond the classroom, the project also provides each class with its own appropriately shaded terrace, creating a dedicated outdoor learning environment.
- Team : Archistart Studio | ATI project
- Luogo : Nardò
- Premi : Concorso Futura – PNRR: Progetto Vincitore
- Anno : 2023
- Photo credits : Pierangelo Laterza