Rotunda, from Latin rotundus, is a building designed in a circular plan that can sometimes be covered by a dome. It may also refer to a round room within a building.
By inserting a circular typology into our site, we aimed to provide a contextual continuity but also a formal autonomy. This architectural form, a clearly known and recognizable by everyone, became our reference to design the new Children’s House. Standing as a clearly distinct element in dialogue with the existing context, the building strives to formulate a strong answer to reach a clear organization of the program, layed out in four different wings, as well as a recognizable and open identity. With few precise gestures, the ground floor hosts the Administration and Storage areas on the south-west side, the Hospitality area - with 4 dormitories for 8 beds - on the north-east and south-west sides and finally the Recreation area on the south-east.
The Recreation area, for monitoring and caring of the children, gained an important focus during the design process, as we propose not only to shelter it but also to extend it under the open sky, towards the centre of the building. An open playground area is therefore created in the core of the building, sitting on an artificially shaped landscape and providing an exterior, yet also safe and enclosed space for the children.
The diagonally positioned openings of the building allow access to it from all sides, giving every wing an equal importance. In this way, we seek to create spaces placed not according to different hierarchies but rather of different weights. All these spaces, which are geometrically linked, are crowned with a corrugated metal roof structure which provides shelter and emphasizes a clearly defined volume. Put together, the entire architectural layout is extremely clear: a clean-cut circular perimeter in close relation with its open core.
The diagonally positioned openings of the building allow access to it from all sides, giving every wing an equal importance. In this way, we seek to create spaces placed not according to different hierarchies but rather of different weights. All these spaces, which are geometrically linked, are crowned with a corrugated metal roof structure which provides shelter and emphasizes a clearly defined volume. Put together, the entire architectural layout is extremely clear: a clean-cut circular perimeter in close relation with its open core.