AM3's Prize-Winning Boarding School to Open Onto Mount Stelvio in Malles

01:00 - 17 October, 2014

by Sadia Quddus

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AM3's Prize-Winning Boarding School to Open Onto Mount Stelvio in Malles

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UpLab; Courtesy of AM3

Architetti Associati

AM3 Architetti Associati has been awarded first prize in a competition to design a new
boarding school in Malles (Bozen, Italy). The proposed building takes full advantage of the
landscape, opening onto views towards Mount Stelvio and the Mustair Valley. Drawing
inspiration from this unique context, AM3 crafts a design that integrates opportunities for active
participation between building and land, and student with nature.

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 UpLab; Courtesy of AM3 Architetti Associati

Along the Northeast boundary, a retaining wall and horizontal building mass work in unison to
level the sharp drop between the mountainside and ground level of the plot. The main building
takes the form of an open "U" shape, positioned in order to create three distinct outdoor spaces.
A park on the southern side connects neighboring agricultural land with the school, while a
service area on the northern end provides parking lots, facility premises, and kitchen loading
areas. A central private courtyard and garden establishes a gathering space and provides views
for common areas.

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UpLab; Courtesy of AM3 Architetti

Associati

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UpLab; Courtesy of AM3 Architetti Associati

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 UpLab; Courtesy of AM3

Architetti Associati

The fitness room, canteen, and study lounge are housed on the ground floor, with residential area
in a separate volume on the upper two stories. The complex is meant to be entered from the
south, where the porter's lodge is located. This forms the origin of the main vertical connections.
A focus on the relationship between indoors and out is evident in building thresholds. Flexible
classrooms and leisure areas are found on the Northeast end, organized to provide views into the
courtyard. A large curtain glass wall in the fitness room dissolves the separation from nature and
opens onto Mount Stelvio. Lodgings are designed in an independent block, with each room
positioned strategically to maximize on year-round direct sunlight.

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 UpLab; Courtesy of AM3 Architetti

Associati

A solidly formed structural system makes use of in-situ car concrete exterior walls, using
external screens to reduce solar heat gain. Aiming to meet "Class A" standards of the Climate
House protocol, the building works to utilize the thermal and acoustic qualities of cast concrete,
and is oriented in order to take advantage of solar resources while avoiding overheating.
Completion is slated for 2019.

Competition
Boarding School Malles

Award
First Prize

Architects
AM3 Architetti Associati

Location
Via Malles, 39100 Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy

Design Team

AM3 Architetti Associati, Studio Cangemi s.a.s. (Head of the team), Ing. G.
Pecoraro

Collaborator
arch. Luca Farina

Rendering
UpLab.eu

Project Year
2019

Photographs
UpLab; Courtesy of AM3 Architetti Associati