The collaboration between the University of Parma (UNIPR) and the AGS Foundation to accomplish something that each could have done independently is the central theme manifested in the architectural design of the project. The pedagogical concept underlying the functional program is highly innovative, fostering integration between a public and a private school, educational continuity with the university center, and inclusiveness and transversality of knowledge.
The project involves two separate buildings: one for a public 0-6 childhood center (a rare occurrence in Italy) and one for the education of vulnerable pre-adolescent children (private). Despite their independence, the underlying principle of equality guided the design, resulting in identical architecture for both the AGS Foundation and the Children’s Center. These two buildings, though distinct, are identical and mirror each other, resembling the two-faced Janus, a mysterious Roman god. The image of Janus, with its duality, symmetry, unity, and indivisibility, served as the project’s clearest conceptual reference: two faces, one head.
Credits
Architecture
Enrico Molteni
Client
Fondazione accademia giorni straordinari – UNIPR
Year of completion
2023
Location
Parma, Italy
Total area
1.550 m2
Site area
5.600 m2
Photos
Marco Cappelletti, Walter Mair
Project Partners
RubnerGruppe; Davide Aiesi
