A new gateway

At the southern entrance of Barbian, this new building complex introduces a multifunctional timber structure that redefines arrival to the village. Combining kindergarten, day-care facilities, a children’s restaurant, a tourism office, and public infrastructure, the project establishes a contemporary civic threshold. Developed as part of Italy’s PNRR program and funded through NextGenerationEU, the building brings education, mobility, and community life into a single architectural gesture down into the finest details.

One connective idea

The ensemble consists of two distinct volumes positioned on opposite sides of the road. On the hillside, the kindergarten, day-care center, children’s restaurant, and protected outdoor areas are arranged above a two-level underground garage. Across the street, the tourism office with public sanitary facilities forms the counterpart. A bridge spanning the road connects both buildings, while an adjacent stair and elevator tower ensures barrier-free access from the garage to the village center.

Shaped for learning

Inside the educational building, traditional group rooms give way to open, flexible learning zones. Creative areas, retreat spaces, and play-oriented niches support movement and self-directed exploration. Corridors expand into informal meeting points, enriching daily routines. Functions are layered horizontally along the slope, culminating in a rooftop play area reserved exclusively for the children, while lower levels accommodate group rooms and the kitchen serving both the facility and the nearby primary school.

Green Identity

The steep terrain informed the project’s clear stratification: a robust exposed-concrete base anchors the structure, above which lightweight timber construction unfolds. A vertically structured, green-stained timber facade gives the ensemble a strong identity at the village entrance. Built to KlimaHaus Gold standard, the project uses a heat pump system, controlled ventilation with heat recovery, and daylight-focused interiors dominated by wood, creating a calm and durable environment for future generations.

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