a CLT school competition proposal organised around three courtyards and an occupiable roof landscape
| Project Location | Siracusa, Sicily, Italy |
| Project Type | School, educational building, competition proposal, CLT timber construction, courtyard building |
| Project Description | Competition proposal for the Siracusa School of the Future, organised around three courtyards with educational programmes arranged around shared outdoor spaces, an occupiable roof and a central foyer/auditorium. |
| Competition | Siracusa School of the Future Competition |
| Architect | UFO Architecture |
| Lead Architect | Claudio Lucchesi |
| Project Status | Competition proposal – unbuilt |
| Project Duration | 2016 |
| Programme | Educational spaces, three courtyards, central foyer, main auditorium, occupiable roof, circulation spaces and shared student areas |
| Design Focus | CLT timber construction, courtyard organisation, school of the future, educational landscape, occupiable roof, central foyer, auditorium, outdoor learning and Mediterranean climate |
| Spatial Strategy | The educational programme is organised around three courtyards, creating a clear relationship between classrooms, shared spaces, outdoor learning and internal circulation. |
| Material Strategy | The project explores cross-laminated timber construction as a structural and ecological strategy for contemporary educational architecture in Sicily. |
Siracusa School of the Future is UFO Architecture’s 2016 competition proposal for a new educational building in Siracusa, Sicily. The project explores how cross-laminated timber construction can support a contemporary school environment shaped by courtyards, shared spaces and outdoor learning.
The design is organised around three courtyards, with the educational programme arranged around these open spaces. The courtyards structure the school as a sequence of protected outdoor rooms, bringing daylight, orientation, social life and climate-responsive space into the centre of the building.
The roof is conceived as an occupiable landscape for students, extending the learning environment beyond the conventional classroom. This creates additional space for informal gathering, outdoor activity and a stronger connection between the school and the Mediterranean climate.
At the centre of the project, a public area accessed through the 100 m track forms both the entrance foyer and the location of the school’s main auditorium. This central space acts as a civic and educational heart, connecting movement, assembly and performance within the larger school organisation.
The project reflects UFO Architecture’s interest in CLT timber design, ecological construction, educational architecture and the development of school buildings as flexible environments for learning, gathering and experimentation.
