Busca School Complex: a glowing project in porcelain stoneware

The Diamante Argento tiles by Casalgrande Padana used for the façade of the new Busca school complex in Cuneo, Italy.

The project for the Busca School Complex, in the province of Cuneo, by the architect Daniele Rangone of Studio Settanta7, took third prize in the 13th edition of the Grand Prix in the Large Surfaces and Façade Cladding category, with the following motivation: ‘The cladding of the school building using three-dimensional porcelain stoneware in the colours silver and blue shapes a monolithic block suspended on top of a glass-clad base. The building thus obtained has an enveloping shape, with regularly placed openings alternating with effective recesses that combine with significant overhangs on the front parts, where the ceramic cladding plays a key role, continuing on the ceiling of the covered area and highlighting the material value of the iridescent volume.’
With a surface area of 7,045 square metres, the New Busca School Complex comprises a primary and a lower secondary school, and was designed with a view to opening up the educational complex to the surrounding area, with an easily recognisable building that seeks to be a functional, landmark facility for the local community, able to blend smoothly with the surrounding landscape and environment. The curved “X” shape of the building, developed on three levels, adapts perfectly to the site, which is more than just a place of learning, and also offers a space for encounters designed to foster interaction between the school and the community.
The signature feature of the project are the façades clad with Casalgrande Padana porcelain stoneware tiles from the Diamante Argento collection, in the 60x60 cm size, and the R-Evolution Blue collection, in the 90x180 cm size, which give the building a unique, distinctive identity and help to afford it landmark status in the urban environment of Busca.
The ground floor was conceived as a meeting area designed to foster interaction between school and community life, by creating an open, welcoming environment. The layout of the building enables a direct relationship with the outdoor space, turning it into an area for leisure and socialisation. The spaces have been designed with close attention to guaranteeing flexibility and adaptability.
The project takes its inspiration from the ‘Scuola senza zaino’ (School Without Backpacks) educational model, which encourages student autonomy and participation. To give the new school complex an even more distinctive appearance, an artist was engaged to paint a mural alongside the main stairs linking the floors, designed not only to enhance the visual impact of the building, but also as a symbolic element ready to accompany students on their growth pathway, connecting the various learning levels both ideally and physically.