Children’s Pole

The Children’s Pole, a learning space where the new generations of Reggio Emilia will grow, is the Cairepro project located within the ‘Nilde Iotti’ Urban Park. This project was the winner of the competition (formally a market survey) promoted by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia.

The New Pole is an eco-sustainable building, designed with a bioclimatic approach and incorporating materials and systems that will enable the building to achieve zero energy consumption (NZEB). It also adheres to the Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM) and the Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) principle, as required for interventions funded by the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan).

The building is also ‘green’ in a literal sense, featuring an extensive green roof and facades adorned with climbing plants. Permeable materials are used for the external paving, and solutions for replenishing the water table (SUDS – Sustainable Urban Drainage System) have been implemented, along with rainwater collection and recovery systems.

The design of the building is the result of careful collaboration between Cairepro’s designers, the local administration, and the Istituzione Scuole e Nidi d’Infanzia of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia. It follows the principles of the Reggio Emilia Approach, which has made the city’s preschools internationally renowned.

The architecture is organized around a covered central square, which serves as the heart of the building, surrounded by the main functions and eliminating traditional corridors. This multifunctional space is welcoming, bright, and flexible, offering opportunities for various uses and experiences, where children and adults can meet, play, and socialize. Within the 2,054 square meters of the building, there are three nursery sections and two kindergarten sections, catering to a total of 96 children.

To support the pedagogical activities, a variety of indoor, outdoor, and intermediate spaces will promote creativity and discovery. These include a communal atelier (in addition to the mini-ateliers in the individual sections), adjacent to the winter garden and the indoor kitchen, which will feature transparent walls to offer children a chance to experience the cooking process as part of their learning.

The Polo is integrated into the larger urban park, occupying an area of 6,608 square meters. The green architecture, the result of an integrated design process with landscape architect Matteo Verzelloni, highlights and enhances the pedagogical value of open spaces. It is as significant as the built environment, with which it maintains close relationships through threshold spaces, permeability, and interconnectivity.

The park is divided into distinct, characterful, and evocative areas that encourage future participatory design transformations: the Magic Forest, the Meeting Drop, the Harvest Garden, the Archipelago, and the Explorers’ Path.

Green project executed in collaboration with Arch. Matteo Verzelloni, render images by Stefano Barbieri – Imagovis.

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