The construction of the teaching building, forming the façade along the pedestrian axis, reinforces the overall layout proposed in the competition, creating a route that highlights the existing archaeological remains while allowing the classrooms to be oriented to the south.
In the teaching building, the shared social space is the main feature of the building: it is organised vertically so that all classrooms open onto it. Circulation on two levels, via walkways and corridors open to the central space, is intended to ensure the constant activity of this space, used by students from different disciplines, so that it becomes a RELATIONAL SPACE.
A careful treatment of volumes and light from different sources underscores the prominence of the shared space: it is accessed from the entrances located on the south façade, reached via the designed pedestrian route, entering the building through glazed fissures that separate the compact exposed-brick volumes that enclose the classrooms. Opposite them, the large central space is defined by a volume of greater height that embraces them, clad in white limestone with a sawn finish, both inside and out.
In this central space, light is separated from views: daylight enters through a large opening above the wall that defines the classrooms, at the upper part of the south façade, while the north wall is cut away at its lower part to allow a framed view of the future landscaped central courtyard, with a continuous bench beneath the picture window: thus we create a large central space tensioned by diagonal light.
Completing the proposal, on the north façade there are two volumes attached to the main lobby, housing the vertical circulation cores and the remaining spaces required by the programme, “stitched” to it by glass-block fissures. Their layout and treatment will allow future extensions without disrupting the centre’s normal operation.
The entire building is finished inside and out with highly durable exposed materials suitable for the intended use, avoiding the need for additional skirting in common areas, thereby greatly reducing future maintenance and conservation costs.