New Campus for the Bologna Business School

Combining the redevelopment and functional integration of the buildings with the surrounding environment, the new focal point on the ridge of the hill seamlessly integrates with nature and the landscape. The project has a "light touch," with indoor and outdoor spaces blending seamlessly, allowing for maximum enjoyment of the views and a wide range of outdoor activities. Additionally, the new campus connects to Villa Guastavillani via a rectilinear direct pedestrian route, ensuring visual and physical continuity that creates a constant dialogue between the present and the past.

Combining the redevelopment and functional integration of the buildings with the surrounding environment, the new focal point on the ridge of the hill seamlessly integrates with nature and the landscape. The project has a "light touch," with indoor and outdoor spaces blending seamlessly, allowing for maximum enjoyment of the views and a wide range of outdoor activities. Additionally, the new campus connects to Villa Guastavillani via a rectilinear direct pedestrian route, ensuring visual and physical continuity that creates a constant dialogue between the present and the past.

The two most architecturally valuable buildings, the farmhouse and the former oven, have been restored to accommodate some of the campus services. The farmhouse houses flexible classrooms for lectures and study, offices, and a meeting room, while the former oven hosts a reception area to guide students within the university grounds. Three other buildings on the site have been reconfigured into a single functional block that will host the main educational activities. The new part, which consists of two floors with a large basement, is connected to the farmhouse via an underground tunnel, ensuring under-cover continuity between the academic spaces. Outside, a large canopy serves as a piazza, creating a social space for student interaction. Two terraced gardens with a solarium mark the edges of the basement spaces, ensuring them of ample natural daylight and giving students an outdoor extension of the study area and cafeteria.

The two most architecturally valuable buildings, the farmhouse and the former oven, have been restored to accommodate some of the campus services. The farmhouse houses flexible classrooms for lectures and study, offices, and a meeting room, while the former oven hosts a reception area to guide students within the university grounds. Three other buildings on the site have been reconfigured into a single functional block that will host the main educational activities. The new part, which consists of two floors with a large basement, is connected to the farmhouse via an underground tunnel, ensuring under-cover continuity between the academic spaces. Outside, a large canopy serves as a piazza, creating a social space for student interaction. Two terraced gardens with a solarium mark the edges of the basement spaces, ensuring them of ample natural daylight and giving students an outdoor extension of the study area and cafeteria.

The landscape design is inspired by waves, evoking circular forms. From the heart of the new campus, a series of fluid pathways extend outward like concentric circles, integrating into the terrain and forming terraces for hosting sports and recreational activities. This fluidity contrasts with the rigid regularity of the surrounding buildings, reflecting the juxtaposition between the enjoyment of sports and the discipline of study.

The landscape design is inspired by waves, evoking circular forms. From the heart of the new campus, a series of fluid pathways extend outward like concentric circles, integrating into the terrain and forming terraces for hosting sports and recreational activities. This fluidity contrasts with the rigid regularity of the surrounding buildings, reflecting the juxtaposition between the enjoyment of sports and the discipline of study.

The roofs are a distinctive element of the project, combining architectural aspects with sustainability in an optimal way. In the new building, a system of sunshade louvres has been implemented specifically to limit the entry of thermal radiation and regulate the amount of light in the educational spaces. The roof of the farmhouse, on the other hand, is designed to generate electricity from a photovoltaic system, thus powering the entire campus.

Thanks to the extensive surrounding park, the campus is equipped with a dedicated system for collecting and managing rainwater, which can be reused during the summer months.

The roofs are a distinctive element of the project, combining architectural aspects with sustainability in an optimal way. In the new building, a system of sunshade louvres has been implemented specifically to limit the entry of thermal radiation and regulate the amount of light in the educational spaces. The roof of the farmhouse, on the other hand, is designed to generate electricity from a photovoltaic system, thus powering the entire campus.

Thanks to the extensive surrounding park, the campus is equipped with a dedicated system for collecting and managing rainwater, which can be reused during the summer months.

For the new campus, MCA also designed the interiors, based on the principle of flexible teaching spaces that can be adapted to the daily needs of academic life and encouraging a seamless dialogue between the interiors and the outdoor spaces.

For the new campus, MCA also designed the interiors, based on the principle of flexible teaching spaces that can be adapted to the daily needs of academic life and encouraging a seamless dialogue between the interiors and the outdoor spaces.

The new block features a natural oak theatre staircase that connects the two levels of the building. The staircase is surrounded by ring-shaped wooden book shelving, symbolising the cultural value of academic study and traditional learning, and includes seating for students. At the first floor, the lobby and classrooms feature large glazed surfaces alternating with opaque panels in warm tones, integrated with the slatted ceiling and offering a 360-degree panoramic view of the hilly landscape outside.

The new block features a natural oak theatre staircase that connects the two levels of the building. The staircase is surrounded by ring-shaped wooden book shelving, symbolising the cultural value of academic study and traditional learning, and includes seating for students. At the first floor, the lobby and classrooms feature large glazed surfaces alternating with opaque panels in warm tones, integrated with the slatted ceiling and offering a 360-degree panoramic view of the hilly landscape outside.

In the basement too, the louvred roof characterises the space, where a large open area is subdivided into areas for teaching, flexible spaces for study sessions, events, and conferences, as well as a dining area. The kitchen is designed as a completely transparent satin steel cube, intended for show-cooking, which can be closed and made opaque after service has ended. The dining area takes its inspiration from the plant world, with a large, flexible, dynamic table which, thanks to its modular elements, resembles the branches of a tree. Interspersed green elements enrich the table, reinforcing the connection between the interiors and the landscape of the Bolognese hills.

In the basement too, the louvred roof characterises the space, where a large open area is subdivided into areas for teaching, flexible spaces for study sessions, events, and conferences, as well as a dining area. The kitchen is designed as a completely transparent satin steel cube, intended for show-cooking, which can be closed and made opaque after service has ended. The dining area takes its inspiration from the plant world, with a large, flexible, dynamic table which, thanks to its modular elements, resembles the branches of a tree. Interspersed green elements enrich the table, reinforcing the connection between the interiors and the landscape of the Bolognese hills.

Inside the former farmhouse, a spiral oak staircase introduces curvilinear and dynamic forms into the space. In the basement, the underground connecting tunnel has been transformed into an area dedicated to the installation of artworks, giving it an iconic and communicative significance.

Inside the former farmhouse, a spiral oak staircase introduces curvilinear and dynamic forms into the space. In the basement, the underground connecting tunnel has been transformed into an area dedicated to the installation of artworks, giving it an iconic and communicative significance.