Following the earthquake that struck Emilia Romagna in 2012, the Guastalla Nursery School is the result of a multidisciplinary dialogue between architecture, pedagogy, psychology and anthropology.

The project is based on the desire to promote a high-tech, safe, efficient, comfortable and flexible school space with outdoor activity zones. The building consisting of wooden portals that allow light to permeate, immediately recall the idea of a forest, open to the surroundings, but never the same in its composition.

Particular attention was given to creating an attuned relationship for children with external agents and changing natural elements, including weather events and seasons, changing light levels throughout the day, and background sounds and noises.

All sections facing the garden and surrounded by the sensory pathway of the five senses. The trail is characterized by small thematic gardens: from the main entrance, one passes through the Garden of Butterflies (sight), followed by Garden of Sounds (hearing), to the Garden of Fragrances (smell), to theWolverine Corner (taste). The Tom Thumb Trail (touch) consists of different pavements to facilitate the child’s proprioception, winding among 3 existing specimens of Populus alba. The path begins and ends with two prime trees: on the patio the Welcome Tree, Populus alba, and to the northeast the Encounter Tree, a Sophora japonica; under which one meets or listens to a tale.

The “space thus thought” has become the prompter of actions, thoughts, interpretations and emotions in which quality is the key word, quality that is learned from nature, as a mother to ask and observe, supporting the idea of the active child, explorer and researcher.

Connecting spaces inside the building are designed to stimulate curiosity and pleasure through play and relationship spaces, alcoves for standing, and transparent elements for looking outward. All spaces contribute to stimulating curiosity to experience and share the building.