Nestled among the Pisan hills is one of the most environmentally sustainable schools in Italy. With a wooden structure for perfect acoustic and thermal insulation and seismic resistance, it also features a photovoltaic system and an intelligent home automation system for artificial lighting: more than a third of the project was financed by CDP
With a wooden structure made entirely from XLAM, the building is extremely energy efficient, and boasts cutting-edge teaching spaces: indeed, the new Fornacette primary school in the municipality of Calcinaia (Pisa province) is not only a highly innovative construction - it also represents a model of best practice in the school building sector.
The school is an example of excellence, as certified by the Agenzia Fiorentina per l’Energia (Florence Energy Agency) and the "Casa Clima School" protocol, and was opened on 1 October 2016. The total build budget was 5.57 million Euros, with 1.9 million provided by a loan from CDP to the Unione Valdera (the local authority that unites Calcinaia with six other Tuscan municipalities). This has enabled the municipality to build a school composed of 20 classrooms, 6 laboratories, a staffroom for teachers, a canteen, a multi-purpose classroom, parking spaces and plenty of green areas, for the use of 500 pupils and for the small Tuscan community as a whole.
The energy efficiency of the school is guaranteed by the use of wood as a core material in the creation of the various load-bearing structures, for effective thermal and acoustic insulation and strong resistance to seismic activity. In addition, the photovoltaic system on the roof of the building generates more than 31 megawatts of power, enabling the Fornacette school to be entirely self-sufficient in terms of electricity as well as allowing surplus power to be produced for other uses.
The school is also “smart”: thanks to a range of innovative home automation tools, the building is equipped with a computerised, fully automated lighting system that allows the LED lighting in each classroom to be adjusted in line with whether or not there are people present in the space, and with how much sunlight is entering the room from outside.
Innovation and technology for a more sustainable Italy. #wepromotethefuture