EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

The ABF 0-11 Educational Hub in Sforzacosta, the fourth Andrea Bocelli Foundation project in the Marche region following the 2016 earthquake, concludes with the redevelopment-regeneration of the school building that housed the “G. Natali” Elementary School until today.

This project – lot B – together with the reconstruction of the 0-6 Preschool Hub – lot A – inaugurated on November 22, 2023, and the refurbishment of the gym – lot C – make up the 0-11 Educational Hub, where the concept of an educational space moves beyond the traditional boundaries of the classrooms to open up to children and the community and create a living laboratory for experimentation and creation.

An urban redevelopment and regeneration project is seeking to become a center where people can come together and learn and where young people can grow and develop their potential. The Educational Hub project stems from the school concept as a center for co-designed, integrated, enhanced, and enriched experiences accessible to the entire community. In this perspective, school becomes an opportunity for the regeneration of the social and urban fabric that – by bringing together spaces and settings  – gives back and acquires new learning opportunities for all and creates a complex, hybrid learning environment, a creative and cultural hub, and a place where actions and relationships can come together, which can be a resource for the entire community.

The ABF 0-11 Educational Hub aims to be a sustainable, hybrid space capable of integrating relational approaches that foster the guidance and growth of children and help them develop personal responsibility. It leads to active participation and reflection, facilitating the emergence of new questions and solutions in a constantly changing world. Deeply rooted in the community, the Hub welcomes different cognitive and relational styles, nurturing uniqueness and promoting social, emotional, and relationship-building skills. Through visible, interactive processes of transformation, the Hub encourages curiosity and motivation, promoting the use of a variety of languages, specifically art, music, and digital, and enhancing individual memories and identities within the collective whole.

FRAMEWORK OF ACTIONS Organization of spaces

The Educational Hub project spreads over 5 areas:

1. The 0-6 Preschool Hub: is designed as a fluid system of spaces that promote an educational approach that moves beyond the physical boundaries of the classroom. In addition to the three sections (two for the Kindergarten area and one for the Daycare area), there are hybrid workshop spaces with a strong connection to the outdoors, thereby promoting educational continuity with outdoor spaces.
2. The Elementary School classrooms are located partly on the second floor and partly on the first floor. The classrooms can be used in pairs, as they can be reorganized to form a single integrated space made up of different areas dedicated to a range of activities. Functional and flexible, they are capable of accommodating a variety of experiences, while maintaining their functionality and focus on well-being. Finally, the semi-basement houses the canteen and kitchen. It has been connected to the garden, meaning that the cafeteria can be extended outdoors and transformed into a teaching space and theater.
3. The Labs located in all areas of the building are distinctive in that they are targeted at and open to the entire community, even during non-school hours with independent access from the exterior. The laboratory spaces include the art and science lab, the instrumental music and audio and video recording/creativity studio, and the space for educational robotics and new technologies. The aim of these labs is to initiate a process of renewal in the educational approach taken in formal education and training settings by encouraging research and reflection on the resources offered by expressive languages within the school curriculum.
4. The common areas and corridors complement the educational and relationship-building spaces and the informal areas for unplanned socializing that support informal learning, which are places where students can detach from their structured learning activities and find opportunities to interact casually with others, to relax, or to access resources that are unrelated to their school subjects and spaces for documents, such as storytelling and a museum of everyday life.
5. The garden and outdoor spaces are fundamental resources for the Educational Hub, not only in regard to the educational opportunities that are encouraged through school and extracurricular experiences, but also due to the fact that they can become a space that can open up to accommodate the community. These spaces are distinguished by three bubbles: reading, playing, and exploration, in addition to the rubberized playground surfacing where the children can engage in physical activities and play the various games that are incorporated into the floor.

AGORA

The entry area is a space for communication and dialog between families, educators, teachers, the community, and children. This open space extends toward the sections and laboratories, connecting all the areas and thus the people within them, encouraging glances and curiosity towards the spaces that are directly accessible and usable. A piano is placed in the center, which also opens up the use of space for music and movement activities: musical languages channeled as a universal resource to foster and enrich the relationship.

The agora is the public and shared space for recounting the projects that have been started and concluded within the hub and the research that has been conducted, with substantial space dedicated to a children’s library. Large notice boards are set up to hold documents, while the wooden shelving not only offers storage space, but also provides a surface for the exhibition of three-dimensional objects and artifacts. The agora thus presents itself as a museum of everyday life, where the actions of the children are placed ‘at the center’ of the entire Hub, making the processes and results of creative, constructive, and collaborative conduct visible.

The spaces of the storytelling wall present the research and discovery processes undertaken by arranging written, photographic, and artistic documents aimed at the adults who enter the Hub.

CLASSROOMS 

The Elementary School’s classrooms are located on the first and second floors. A reorganization of the spaces makes them both functional and flexible, capable of accommodating a variety of experiences while maintaining their characteristics of functionality, comfort, and well-being, such as writable walls and teach walls.

ADULT AREA / LA PIRA

The adult space is the place where all the professionals in the building can meet and exchange ideas. This is also where more private discussions with families take place, as well as training and coordination initiatives, research, planning and paperwork.

ROBOTICS LABORATORY / MATTEI CLASSROOM

A space where the children can explore technology through play, creativity, and collaboration. The space is enriched with natural and technological materials: wood, modeling clay and cardboard, together with small programmable robots and electronic components. Children can explore the concept of construction and movement by assembling simple robots, bringing out their natural curiosity as they learn to create independently. The available activities promote logical and computational thinking through play, thereby encouraging teamwork and the sharing of ideas.

ART LAB / RAFFELLO CLASSROOM

A space that is open to discovery and exploration, where children can express themselves freely through painting and drawing, both indoors and outdoors. There are many materials available: brushes, tempera and watercolor paints, chalk, and natural materials. The activities promote sensory exploration, experimentation with colors and textures, and the careful observation of the landscape or natural objects.  The transition between the indoors and outdoors stimulates a deep connection between the children, the environment, and the creative process.

MUSIC LAB / CORELLI CLASSROOM

A creative and collaborative space where the children can explore rhythms and melodies through play and improvisation. Orff instruments, such as xylophones, drums, and maracas, as well as natural materials and everyday objects, offer instant access to the musical world. The activities that can be carried out within this classroom focus on the exploration of sound and collective creation, connecting music, movement, and storytelling.

RECORDING ROOM / MARCONI CLASSROOM

This space holds recording instruments, such as microphones, portable recording devices, computers with intuitive audio and video editing software, and musical instruments. The children are encouraged to explore sound through storytelling, music, and the natural environment, recording their voices, sounds they find interesting, and creating sound stories or podcasts. The green screen  in the room can become a tool for producing audiovisuals that stimulate new learning experiences and provide guidance.

ABF IMMERSIVE LAB / OLIVETTI CLASSROOM

A highly interactive and engaging space, designed to:

• stimulate all the senses of children and promote learning through multi-sensory experiences;
• provide the school with a library of immersive digital content;
• make touch-less interaction, engaging, collaborative and accessible to all;
• design and integrate technology harmoniously with the architecture of the built environments.

work and program in an immersive way, while fostering movement in the languages of art, music, and digital.

MULTI-FUNCTIONAL SPACES / MONTESSORI, AGAZZI, AND MONTALCINI CLASSROOMS

The multi-functional space is able to accommodate multiple levels of experience. It is mainly distinguished by the library.

This space is also where the children’s families are given feedback on the experiences they have undertaken during the educational year.

GARDEN

The outdoor spaces are a central part of the reconstruction and redevelopment project. They are presented as the natural extension of the indoor spaces, distinguished and differentiated by area and type. There are 4 themed areas:

• The Reading Bubble, with bean bag chairs and a Book Crossing station;
• The Play Bubble, with a painted chessboard on the ground and a ping pong table;
• The Exploration Bubble, with a distorting mirror;
• The Sports Space: an area with rubberized playground surfacing that incorporates various games to promote movement and group play (twister, bell, etc.)

MEETING SPACE PODIUM/STAGE

The semi-basement is a multi-functional space that can be used as an extended learning environment together with the outdoor area, a stage for theatrical activities, and a place for integrated civic workshops.

In addition, this floor houses the canteen and kitchen. It has been connected to the garden, meaning that shared dining experience can be expanded outdoors, allowing experiences based on the languages of art and music.

PARTNERS

The activities of the elementary school and the civic workshops began on 30 September, 2024.

As part of an integrated relationship, ABF coordinates the workshops for the school and the local companies that inhabit the spaces via the hub’s pedagogical coordinator and the art, music, and digital atelieristas.

• Municipality of Macerata
• “E. Mestica” School Institute
• GLATAD Association: “POMERIGGI IN QUARTIERE 7×7” (AFTERNOONS IN THE 7×7 NEIGHBOURHOOD) Project.

This homework help and recreational activities project aims to provide children and young people aged 7 to 18 residing/domiciled in the Municipality of Macerata with spaces for recreation and socialization where they can complete their homework and engage in individual and group games and musical activities, with the aim of imparting respect for the rules that apply when interacting with others and in small groups. A particular focus is placed on unaccompanied foreign minors, who will be able to support and assist the educators in recreational and musical activities and with homework help.  

• Il Faro Social Cooperative

The “ESTATE IN QUARTIERE 7×7” (SUMMER IN THE 7×7 NEIGHBORHOOD) Project. The summer workshops aim to provide recreational outdoor spaces where children and young people aged 6-14 residing or domiciled in the Municipality of Macerata can come together and engage in play, recreation, sports, and music. A “Tutor Group” of young people aged 14 to 18 will also be present, where places will be reserved for unaccompanied foreign minors. The young people will assist the teaching staff in creating animation and team-building activities to learn how to interact with others and develop social skills.

“TEMPI SUPPLEMENTARI” (SUPPLEMENTARY TIMES) Project. These multi-sport activities are coordinated by a professional instructor, who is assisted by unaccompanied foreign minors, and they aim to promote sports as being part of a healthy lifestyle and a tool for optimal mental and physical development. These activities also enhance the educational aspect of sports, especially considering minors and young people with disabilities who may potentially risk social exclusion. The sports activities are aimed at two groups of children and young people, depending on their age (between 6 and 11 years old and between 12 and 18 years old), residing/domiciled in the Municipality of Macerata.

• PARS Social Cooperative

“SPORTELLO DI ASCOLTO PER ADOLESCENTI” (OUTREACH COUNSELLING OFFICE FOR TEENAGERS) Project
The psychological help desk for teenagers offers a safe and confidential environment where participants can express their concerns, share their life experiences, and receive psychological support from professionals in the field. The goal is to promote the teenagers’ personal and social development and foster the processes of inclusion for unaccompanied foreign minors while providing emotional support to help overcome the hardships caused by family separation and build new pathways for inclusion.