INGM (National institute of Molecular genetics) is a non-profit research foundation with the aim of discovering and developing new therapies and diagnostic instruments to fight cancer and autoimmune diseases. INGM will be located in the IRCCS (Scientific Institute for Hospitalisation and Health Care) Campus, at the “Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Mangiagalli e Regina Elena” in Milan, in a new building specifically conceived for the foundation which shall be completed by the end of 2011. The building, partly dedicated to laboratories and partly to offices, has been conceived and designed as if it were a sort of “Research Vessel”, a metaphor that provides an image that effectively evokes the idea of a journey. The building is a meeting place of two physical states: the solid state and the liquid state; the former is symbolically represented by a stone covering of the facades that face the city, that evokes the rules, the institutions, the hard part of scientific research. The latter is symbolically represented by continuous glass façades that look onto the garden that represents the home of creativity, intuition, experimentation, circularity of information and communication, essential ingredients in scientific research. The INGM building will represent the foundation’s mission through formal identity elements that will make it clearly and easily identifiable and that will communicate the presence of the scientific research activity it houses. The structure has a wide steel framework for maximum flexibility. The façades are diversified according to their exposure to the sun on the basis of a detailed climatic study; briefly they are as follows: - south-west: continuous glass façade with external shading devices with large metal slats that can be adjusted and are connected to a monitoring system; – north-east: stone covered façade with fixed shading device.

The project concerns the creation of a new full-time infant-toddler centre next to the existing “S. Neri” preschool in order to create a new educational centre for infants in Campogalliano. The infant-toddler centre is made up of three rooms for a total of 59 children as well as teaching and service staff. The design of the building is influenced by the existing construction to which it is related both in terms of alignment on the road side and in terms of choice of style in order to obtain a school centre with a uniform architectural style. The plan of the building is made up of two rectangles one inside the other; it develops on one floor and features a double volume in the central hall which exploits the space of the roof pitch and of the lantern. The volume is in fact mainly covered by a roof with pitches which at the centre feature a roof terrace with a hip roof; the second volume features a flat covering which cannot be used for any purpose. The choice of the architectural style of the volumes was influenced by the existing building; this is also the case for the materials selected: wooden roof with copper coloured slab finish, plastered and painted walls with skirting of a different colour. The internal layout on the other hand, considering the different intended use, differs from the existing building even though it also features a large central space with roof terrace, suitable as common room and reception area. Despite the compact development of the building, the spaces have natural lighting and airing by means of openings on the walls and skylights on the covering, with the exception of the toilets for public use and storerooms; these are fitted with suitable mechanical ventilation systems.

The project concerns the construction of a preschool in the municipality of Villanova di Mondovì in the Province of Cuneo, with 4 classrooms, extendable to 5. The new preschool is located in the area outside the existing school building of the Municipality which houses the elementary and middle schools. The limited size of the area available has led to the design of a building, adjacent to the existing one; the new building occupies the gym on the ground floor of the existing building using it as canteen, kitchen and auxiliary services. The work is basically divided into three parts: the new building with one floor above the ground which is physically intended as a central connection unit partly surmounted by a double volume roof terrace onto which all the classrooms and relevant services face; the recovery and renovation of the existing building with a change of intended use of the ground floor area from gym and changing rooms to canteen, kitchen, scullery and relevant services; the external renovation involving the creation of the grey water and black water sewage systems. As regards the new building, the choice of using materials and technologies similar to those used in the existing building stems from the desire to achieve a homogeneous complex with the elementary school which was built after the war; our choice was also influenced by the “historical” restrictions set by the government department responsible for monuments and artistic heritage. All the choices have been made with the aim of limiting energy consumption and obtaining hygrothermal comfort. External panelling, doors, windows and coverings have been studied with solutions that limit the thermal exchange between outside and inside. Traditional and natural materials have been selected for the fixtures, with good durability characteristics, low maintenance and easy to clean characteristics. Considering the environmental contexts and the position on a slope, the coverings have been obtained with green roofs for a lower environmental impact.

The project concerned the restoration and functional recovery of the Teatro Verdi in Ferrara. The building which dates back to the 16th century with the construction of the “Teatro degli Intrepidi” was transformed over the years due to changing needs and catastrophic events; the last reconstruction of the theatre dates back to 1912 and was carried out by the engineers Finzi and Mazza on the foundations of the Arena Tosi which had collapsed under a heavy snowfall. The first requirement expressed by the theatre was the consolidation of all the structures which had partially collapsed (such as the gallery) and of decayed structures due to many years of abandonment. The consolidation also offered the opportunity to make the necessary improvements to the existing container, thus making the theatre functional according to the new stage requirements. The project team therefore sought the assistance of qualified technicians in the sound and stage technology fields such as the company Muller BBM, already involved in the design of the Fenice Theatre in Venice, and the company Kunkel Consulting. The structure has been extended with the addition of two structures in the side courtyards that house the changing rooms and rehearsal rooms, and the systems which are much more complex than the previous ones. The space under the stage and the orchestra pit have been lowered to allow the use of hydraulic movement systems for the stage and orchestra. The highly fractioned spaces at the front of the theatre have been opened to allow for flexible lay-outs in order to house exhibitions and small sized events without occupying the theatre room space. In line with the objective of obtaining a homogeneous 20th century architectural style, all the superfluous additions built after the war have been removed, such as the stage box which had already collapsed.

Politecnica has followed projects carried out at the Zola Predosa (Bo) office of Intertaba S.p.a. The services offered range from the integrated design of the entire work including works management to highly specialised projects such as systems or urban designs. The main work carried out included an aerial walkway that connects two adjacent buildings, the construction of a new canteen for the “Gold Area” production plant and internal renovation of existing buildings. Every project was carefully studied and adapted to meet the high corporate standards. Politecnica was also chosen for a project to harmonise all the existing buildings in order to create a homogenous and identifiable image of the entire lot.

The New S. Agostino-Estense Civil Hospital located in Baggiovara was inaugurated on 2 June 2005; it features 454 beds, 33 of which for Day Hospital and Day Surgery. It houses the 2nd level Emergency Department of the Province of Modena and it is functionally integrated with the University Complex of the General Hospital, the training structures of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and with the other hospitals in the province. The hospital building is entirely air-conditioned. The rooms are single or double, each one with its own bathroom and toilet. It houses different Operational Units related to the Medical area, Surgical area and Critical Care area (Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Stroke Unit and Post-Operative Critical care Unit); Image Diagnostics Department (CT and MRI), Neuroradiology, Emergency Department with helipad authorised by the Fire Brigade and equipped for Helicopter Emergency Service, Digestive Endoscopy Centre, centralised Surgery Department with six operating theatres and four Day surgery rooms, Sterilisation Unit, Haemodialysis Department, Specialist Outpatient department and a Chemist’s.