The research comes from applying the guidelines for building schools developed by the work group coordinated by INDIRE in 2013, and from the use of the 1+4 Manifesto “educational spaces for schools of the third millennium” to design new schools and rethink the spaces in existing school buildings; the premises are organised on the basis of five complementary functional spaces studied to gradually replace the layout solely based on classrooms and corridors.

The research in question proposes a model that can be applied both to building new schools and to renovating existing assets with the goal of promoting not only energy efficiency and sustainability and seismic and structural safety, but also the effectiveness of investments from a pedagogical-didactic point of view.

Objectives

• To develop a conceptual model based on scientific literature that identifies the evolutionary phases and critical factors of the appropriation process of a new school building;
• To identify tools, which can accompany the school community in the appropriation process of a new school building.
• The aforementioned objectives draw on the general objectives of the Research Structure “School architecture and furnishings: designing new educational spaces and adapting existing learning environments”, as specified in the 2021-2022-2023 three-year plan:
• To develop tools that can accompany the school in organising and using flexible environments and innovative spaces;
• To investigate how to use innovative spaces, based on the framework prepared by INDIRE (1+4 Manifesto), after their occupation.

Research questions

Q1: Is it possible to define an accompaniment model that supports the school community in the appropriation process of a new school building?

Q2: Under what conditions is an investment in building a school able to trigger a virtuous and sustainable process of change in educational vision and practice?