"Our goal is to create a school complex with cultural, social and sports functions, inside of which are articulated the different uses of the building, from didactical spaces, specialised rooms, to equipment and services, which constantly relate to the urban surroundings," explains architect Francesco D'Elia.
The gym is inserted in the site with a double prerogative: to be connected to the school by a direct, internal access, as well as a roadside one; and to be connected with other local sports associations by way of two public entrances.
The volume is inserted in the urban fabric, introducing a bold façade which becomes a new social and urban reference point.
Emerging from the avant-corps, the gym's volume features a façade with openings in several shapes and sizes, which evoke the spontaneous vernacular construction techniques typical of the Puglia region. The insertion of this volume in the school complez allows for the creation of a generous internal court, which will be used as a "didactic garden."
The choice of materials seeks to guarantee, during the day, ideal natural lighting for all users of the space, while at the simultaneously achieving remarkable energy savings. At night, the building is illuminated from the inside.
Client: Comune di Brindisi
Project: Donati D'Elia Associati (Francesco D'Elia, Antonio Donati, Claudio Donati), Alessandro Fischetti
Team:Gerardo Bonomo, Roberto D'Elia, Angelo Di Bello, Patrizia Donati, Vincenzo Latanza, Marcello Perrini
Geology: Bruno Margiotta
Consultant: Pier Paolo Raho
Contractors: Busiello Costruzioni S.r.l., Pollena Trocchia (Na), Lippolis Costruzioni S.a.s. Noci (Ba)
Intervention area: 9710 square metres
Building height: 10,5 metres
Building completion: 2011
