david chipperfield's milan office wins competition for university campus in padua

the milan office of david chipperfield architects has been selected to design a new campus for the university of padua, a prestigious institution in northern italy. in winning the international design contest, the firm held of competition from other established firms including: bak gordon, barozzi veiga, cruz y ortiz arquitectos, foster + partners, and sauerbruch hutton.

all images courtesy of david chipperfield architects milan

the brief called for the conversion of caserma piave, a former barracks that totals 50,000 square meters, (538,195 sqf). the existing complex also includes buildings of the former sant’agostino convent, which have been used as part of the barracks since the 19th century. titled ‘piave futura’, the new campus for the university of padua will host the school’s social and economic sciences program.

the scheme will involve the introduction of a new elliptical structure

david chipperfield architects milan’s winning scheme, developed in collaboration with engineering company steam, proposes both the recovery of historic buildings for teaching, administrative and research activities, and the introduction of a new building at the center of the campus. elliptical in form, the new pavilion sits partially underground and will serve study, catering, and conference activities.

site plan in the context of the city

‘the architectural concept is rooted in the idea of a building that will serve both the university and the city, acting as a ‘social condenser,’ explain the architects. ‘reference to the historic architecture of padua, such as prato della valle and the botanical garden buildings, is a clear source of inspiration for the proposal and evident in the design.’ this competition win follows the recent awarding of the procuratie vecchie recovery project in venice, previously featured on designboom here.

project info:

architect: david chipperfield architects milan
engineer: steam
client: university of padua
location: padua, italy