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Learning Factory/WNA Walter Nicolino Architects
Text description provided by the architect. The Learning Factory is a private university of applied arts and design located in Bologna, Italy, in a complex of buildings along the railway line that was originally home to the “Ovidio Vignoni” hand-decorated tile company in the early twentieth century. Due to the past use associated with craftsmen and production departments in the field of hand-made decorative tiles, the spaces are characterized by large areas with pronounced verticality, which the renovation project retains and enhances. Beneath its corrugations, the sloping wooden roof forms a covered plaza with a program open to the university’s various activities.
Enclosed standard classrooms occupy some of the available space, mixed with flexible classrooms and shared spaces, accounting for more than 50% of the available internal area. Large windows separate the classroom from other spaces, creating visual connections between those involved in various teaching activities. Contemporary approaches to learning space design should create an environment that allows for a democracy of gaze, promoting visual connections between different disciplines in different learning spaces.
The change in urban use of the new space required a seismic structural adjustment of the entire structure: a new steel frame layer integrated the existing brick walls and wooden roof, establishing a relationship with the existing geometry and materials. Most of the activities take place on the ground floor, maintaining continuity with the city’s exterior spaces. The reduced height differences between the various areas are connected through a system of ramps, inspired by industrial elements and placed in the space as reference points and orientation. Three mezzanines dedicated to specific functions such as offices and conference rooms are connected by three iconic staircases.
Flexible learning spaces – featuring reconfigurable walls, screens made from hanging curtains and movable furniture – are part of the connecting space, establishing a permeable relationship with it. This solution makes the space highly adaptable, whether during study and exchange between students, or during presentations or cultural events with external guests.
Equipped with wall supports and areas for displaying prototypes, the exhibition space represents an active cultural installation within the university, integrated with shared areas and stimulating student interest in the content on display. The plan proposes an open and active space, a clear and meaningful “learning landscape” capable of adapting to change and hosting individuals and groups.
The mechanical building system uses the surface of the exposed concrete floor as radiators to optimize environmental comfort at the interior heights, and uses lightweight overhead ducting for air handling.
Learning Factory: A new university that restores an old factory without taking up new land, generating a flexible and articulated space for innovative teaching and learning through a large and adaptable shared environment. Contemporary universities act as civic hubs for local communities, offering an open program of activities as a natural complement to the teaching experience.
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