The Ferrara Plain is a landscape in constant equilibrium, that conceals the deep alterations that man has historically made in order to keep it that way. The rural territory is, fundamentally, profoundly artificial and the overlapping of its components generates stratified landscapes. The environmental component of water run-off and drainage therefore appears to be the most important from an architectural and landscape point of view.
In the unbuilt part, the project focuses on the superficial soil layer, considered as a complex and heterogeneous entity. Through its slight shaping of the layer, a topography is created that makes it possible for water accumulation and stagnation to occur, depending on weather events. The performance characteristics of this layer are also treated to encourage the infiltration of fresh water in order to mitigate soil salinisation and keep it cultivable.
The integrated design between architecture and landscape aims at a synergic result between built and unbuilt for a virtuous insertion of the building in the anthropic and natural water cycles, so as to involve the school community in the understanding of their functioning for educational purposes and to make pupils and other visitors aware of the importance of the hydraulic work for the ‘Parco del Delta del Po’ area of Emilia-Romagna.