Via Campagnola Complex
The process started in 2020 with the presentation of the project for the regeneration of the entire portion of land of the former Seef complex – Ente Servizi per l'Età Evolutiva e la Famiglia – between Via Pietro Canal, the side of Via Beato Pellegrino and Via Campagnola has been concluded. This area, in the heart of the city and located between two Jewish cemeteries in an urban context of medieval origin, was chosen by the University of Padova for an important investment oriented towards sustainable architecture. The project also provides for the return to the citizens of a large, permeable and freely usable green area, designed as a new open space for all.
This building intervention, which began materially in October 2022, is part of a broader policy of the University which, in addition to increasing and innovating the spaces for research, aims to progressively make new classrooms available to students and modernize existing ones. The area will become a reference point for an increasingly expanding humanistic district in this portion of the city, in dialogue with Palazzo Maldura and the renovated spaces of Via Beato Pellegrino.
To carry out the overall intervention (phases 1 and 2), complex preparatory works were necessary, which first involved the demolition of the superfetations, the war reclamation and finally the environmental reclamation with the removal of underground diesel tanks and the reclamation of surface land. Not only that: the works have brought to light the richest Roman necropolis in the city of Padua (220 tombs), dating back to a period between the Augustan age and the first decades of the second century AD.
The overall plan (phases 1 and 2), which will be implemented by 2026, in addition to the two classrooms with 250 seats each, provides for the recovery of the existing buildings of three floors above ground, located along Via Campagnola, for the construction of teaching spaces (another classroom with 250 seats) on the ground floor, 90 beds, related service spaces-technical rooms and uncovered areas of relevance. The start of the interventions is scheduled for the first months of 2024.
The new building (phase 1), intended for teaching, did not involve the use of fossil fuels and consists, as mentioned, of two classrooms with 250 seats each, a common area, a concierge with adjoining service rooms and technical rooms. The building is equipped with the most powerful photovoltaic system in the university buildings to date (86 kW), while outside there are outdoor paths, car and bicycle parking and some green areas. In particular, in the areas in question, the arrangement of the area towards Via Campagnola is planned as a small widening of the road, eliminating the existing fence, a public pedestrian path in continuity with the walkways inside the area, which will make it possible to connect Via Campagnola with Via Canal (this arrangement will modify the current condition of interclusion of the area and the permeability to public flows as well as improve the viability urban pedestrian area of the district) and the completion of green areas, with equipped crossing paths.
The classrooms in Via Campagnola have been set up according to the latest audio-video standards available in the teaching field and adopted by the University of Padova. The classroom is controlled with a 7'' touchscreen system in the desk. BYOD (bring your own device) is fully supported, which allows you to connect your laptop or even tablet with a simple cable, as well as the use of a room PC. Instead of the classic blackboard, a 55" electronic whiteboard has been provided with an electronically operated trolley that allows the writing surface to be easily raised or lowered and therefore allowed to be used by people with disabilities. Through the touchscreen it is possible to decide which device to project, manage the volumes and change the framing of the classroom camera, a camera that can be used to record the lesson or to make remote connections with interventions via Zoom, Teams or other Unified Communication software.
From the point of view of inclusivity, in addition to the installation of a movement for the electronic whiteboard to ensure access to all users, the audio output of the room is also available for stenotype staff appointed by the University's Inclusion Sector who can acquire the audio of the room to provide a real-time transcription of speech dedicated to users with hearing disabilities.
The video and audio signals of both classrooms are digital and in high definition and travel with "Over IP" technology. In particular, the multi-channel audio system with electronic processing. The full HD video projector is laser technology with a very high brightness for a classroom: 16,000 ansi lumens, designed to be perfectly visible even in a bright and comfortable environment. The pre-tensioned viewing screen is 165" in size and a system with a 65" LED monitor has been installed in the middle of the room to ensure excellent visibility even in the workstations at the back of the room.