The extension of the nursery school Saleggi in Locarno is situated in a context that is strongly influenced by the existing school of Dolf Schnebli. The new building extends over two floors and is located in the eastern part of the plot. The proposed extension does not interfere with the original idea of the project from the 1970s and, by positioning the new building on the fourth side of the central courtyard, attempts to redefine the same, without however compromising the original course of the exterior spaces.
The courtyard thus becomes the heart of the new school complex. The new school rooms have a visual connection both to the outside of the courtyard and to the garden to the south and offer a direct reference to the outside, as Schnebli originally demanded in his architecture.
A simple grid structure of prefabricated concrete elements is the architectural leitmotif, which serves as a visual and functional connection to the existing building. Inside this concrete structure there is a transparent and light body with prefabricated wooden elements and large windows that repeat in size and form.