Architecture making school. Dolf Schnebli and the school in Locarno

Abstract

The article investigates the idea of school, based on the duality of pedagogy and space through a case study: the secondary school in Locarno, built by the Swiss architect Dolf Schnebli between 1959 and 1964. Considering the influence that the school environment has on children’s education, the paper discusses the architect’s design in a context in which teaching and architecture serve the community and its moral development, which is fundamental for defining a new society. The contribution illustrates how the case study employs analogies with archetypical elements, like village, environment and home, to define space and initiate a pedagogical reform. Some of these elements belong to the historical educational discourse, confirming how both the pedagogical and the architectural domains are interrelated. Moreover, the building’s didactic value is completed by constructive and aesthetic details, making the architecture of the school in Locarno a reflection of its educational principle: to provide children with the tools to educate themselves.

Keywords

• scuola svizzera architettura
• pedagogia
• educazione morale