Designing good spaces for future generations means taking on a responsibility that goes beyond mere construction. An educational space does not only transmit knowledge, but teaches space, light, and sharing, becoming a first device of citizenship. In this sense, the new primary school designed by AltraLinea progetti in Marina di Casal Velino interprets architecture as a shared space between community, landscape, and learning.
Here, architecture engages with the lightness of a gesture that does not seek to impose itself, but to settle gradually into the territory, like a quiet presence that absorbs the colors and rhythms of the Cilento coast. Set within a context marked by a strong stratification between the historic hilltop center and the coastal expansion, the project adopts a discreet stance, taking the form of a public infrastructure rooted in the place through proportion, material, and color.
The identity of the building is defined by the relationship between the white volume and the continuous band of celadon green perforated metal mesh that wraps the perimeter like a light, vibrating membrane. This device both creates a unified and recognizable image and acts as an environmental filter, modulating light and contributing to climate control. The chromatic reference to Mediterranean vegetation is not incidental, but establishes a direct connection with the landscape, translating its tones and textures into architectural language.
The façades vary according to orientation, articulating the relationship between interior and exterior through subtle variations. On the main front, a regular sequence of openings reveals the organization of the classrooms, while on the opposite side a system of colored vertical fins marks access to the collective spaces, introducing a chromatic code that supports orientation.
The internal layout reflects a clear functional and social strategy. The ground floor hosts laboratories and the canteen, conceived as spaces potentially open to the community beyond school hours; the first floor accommodates classrooms arranged around a system that ensures natural light and visual continuity with the outside. This organization allows the building to take on a dual identity: a school during the day and a civic center in after-school hours, responding to the seasonal nature of coastal contexts.
At the core of the project is the double-height central atrium, conceived as a relational space and a visual connector between levels. This internal void is not only a distributive element, but a shared perceptual field where educational and community activities overlap. The cobalt blue perforated metal balustrade, paired with fluorescent yellow handrails, establishes a chromatic grammar that emphasizes verticality and guides movement without interrupting visual continuity.
The classrooms, arranged along the east and west sides, are designed as essential environments where natural light becomes the primary resource. The configuration of openings ensures balanced illumination and a constant relationship with the landscape, enhancing the quality of the learning space. At the same time, the energy strategy is based on passive principles and the use of electricity produced by rooftop photovoltaic panels, positioning the building as an advanced NZEB structure.
In this sense, the school becomes one of the clearest indicators of a community’s quality, revealing its capacity to invest in the future not only in functional terms, but also in cultural and civic ones. The project thus takes shape as an architectural device that brings together measure, openness, and sustainability, building a continuous relationship between educational space and public dimension, between interior and landscape, between everyday use and collective potential.
CREDITS
Project: New Primary School in Marina di Casal Velino
Architects: AltraLinea Progetti
Location: Casal Velino (SA), Italy
Year: 2025
Photography: Andrea Bosio
