Handed over in 150 days, ABF is still working in earthquake-hit areas by donating the new facility that will house a daycare and kindergarten in the heart of Macerata’s Sforzacosta neighborhood.
Alberto Tomba, Andrea Paris, Carmine Recano and Chiara Galiazzo were also present, along with Veronica Berti Bocelli
November 22, Macerata – Ribbon cutting ceremony today for the ZeroSei Preschool Hub, the first of two lots of the “ABF 0-11 Educational Hub” in Sforzacosta, a project conceived and promoted by the Andrea Bocelli Foundation in collaboration with the Municipality of Macerata. The new facility that will house a daycare center and kindergarten is open to the community: this is the first step (lot A) of the urban reconstruction and redevelopment project that aims to create a real creative and cultural hub for the entire community.
The Preschool Hub, which was built in 150 days, covers an area of 600 m2 and from January 2024 will accommodate around 70 children thanks to 2 Kindergarten sections and 1 daycare section. Inside, alongside the sections, technicians and educationists from the ABF Multidisciplinary Team have designed specialized classrooms and workshop spaces, such as the one designated for reception, which serves not merely as a space where communication can occur between families, teachers and educators, and the children, but also as a music laboratory, thanks to the piano located in the center of the room and a large bookcase in which the instruments are arranged. To encourage the children to discover and be curious through the use of their senses, a large multi-purpose space was designed, featuring the smell and taste workshop and the library. In the same room, the little ones will be able to share mealtimes, as the facility has a fully equipped kitchen.
All of these rooms look onto the Agora, a space dedicated to storytelling where school and educational projects that have been initiated and completed within the Preschool Hub can be showcased. A child-friendly school that also respects the environment. Starting with the educational aspect, with the creation of the art, science and sustainability workshop in which the children will also be able to create and experiment by handling salvaged, industrial waste and natural materials. What’s more, the facility was mainly made of entirely recyclable materials and equipped with facilities that have a near-zero energy impact. A total investment of around 2 million euro, for which 30 companies were employed, more than 90% of whom were local workers.
The design of the spaces was the subject of a call for ideas competition held by the Bocelli Foundation in the second half of 2022, which was open to architectural firms with talent aged under 35. The winner, the Turin-based firm BDRBureau, worked in synergy with the ABF multidisciplinary team to build the new facility. For ABF, this marks the 5th aid project in the areas of the Marche region affected by the 2016 earthquake and is the result of the close collaboration between the public and private sectors: thanks to the partnership that was established with the
Municipality of Macerata right from the start, we worked side by side so that the 0-11 Educational Hub will represent a real regenerative force for Sforzacosta, as a new reference point for the entire community.
CONTRIBUTIONS
Honorary Guido Castelli, Commissioner for Repair and Reconstruction for the 2016 Earthquake: “For Sforzacosta, Macerata, and for the entire community affected by the earthquake, the inauguration of this school represents a tangible sign of rebirth and growth toward an evolved educational and cultural model. The credit for this project is entirely due to Maestro Andrea Bocelli and his Foundation, who are doing truly meritorious work on behalf of areas that have faced very difficult years. Following the inaugurations of the schools in Sarnano, Muccia and Camerino, today it is the turn of Sforzacosta, which comes on the heels of work completed within the 150-day time frame, attesting to the effectiveness of public/private collaboration. This hub is the tangible representation of the principle of rebuilding by innovating, or innovating by rebuilding, that we are adopting in the central Apennines. Returning to a past crystallized in time is not possible and would not even represent a good service rendered to citizens. Today, however, we are seeing the fruits of an educational approach that has accompanied engineering and architectural development in the design of spaces. The result is a place where education, innovation, participation and sustainability coexist in harmony. The example of Sforzacosta is a truly admirable example of the social repair that, as a Commissioning body, we are applying in the central Apennines within a broader strategy of revitalization and development of our communities. Solidarity is the first social glue that lays the foundation to begin again, therefore we can only extend our heartfelt thanks to Andrea Bocelli and ABF for what they have done and what they are still to do.”
Laura Biancalani, Andrea Bocelli Foundation President:
“It is with immense pleasure that today we inaugurated the ZeroSei Preschool Hub, which was handed over in 150 days, as we had set out to do. We are extremely proud of the result: an aesthetically beautiful and innovative school that is not only equipped with stylish tailor-made spaces for children, but also meets environmental and energy standards. Our work does not end here because ABF continues with its ongoing support to carry out innovative educational projects in the areas of music, art and digital, which complement regular curricular activities. Our hope is that the school will become a great landmark in the community and encourage generations of children to reach their full potential, guided by values such as responsibility and caring”.
Sandro Parcaroli, Mayor of Macerata:
“For the community of Sforzacosta and for the city of Macerata, the project of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation , which we thank, represents the regeneration of the building stock and a support for teaching and school education. The inauguration of the “ZeroSei Center” is one of the first steps in a general reconstruction and redevelopment that will involve the hamlet with projects aimed at improving the quality of the services to be offered to citizens and families. Today, the Andrea Bocelli Foundation’s project is giving Macerata not only a new school but a creative and cultural meeting space, a point of reference for the whole territory.”
DONORS
Piermario Barzaghi, KPMG Partner and Chairman of the Advisory Board of the KPMG Foundation: “With the KPMG Foundation and the entire Network, we are committed to working on the forefront of education, the real driver for building an equitable, inclusive and sustainable society. This is why we wholeheartedly support the Sforzacosta Hub project, which is a clear example of how to effectively impact the community through valuable partnerships and by involving all stakeholders.”
Sara Doris, Vice President of Banca Mediolanum and President of the Mediolanum Foundation:
“I believe that, in life, each of us has a job to do. Our commitment to supporting projects that focus on vulnerable children, whom we have been helping for more than 20 years, gives us the opportunity to be able to intervene where we are needed. Supporting the area in which you operate on a daily basis and helping to restore normalcy is a duty. I would like to thank ABF for the concreteness with which it carries out its many projects and for wanting us by their side on this occasion as well, in continuation of our partnership that has existed since 2017”.
Daniele Livi, Fiam Italia CEO:
“There is still so much to do and together we can do so much, which is why, together with the valuable support of our partners, we organized a special evening last June to help one of the neighborhoods still affected by the earthquake, just as we did in 2017 with the rebuilding of the middle school in Cascia”. All of the proceeds raised were donated to help rebuild the ZeroSei Preschool Hub and the upcoming redevelopment of Lot B of the ABF Educational Hub in Sforzacosta, Macerata, to allow children to resume their studies in a suitable facility.”
Paola Rovellini, MAE S.p.a. CFO:
“It is always a unique thrill that naturally ties in with the certainty of doing good that extends beyond ourselves, for the citizens of today and tomorrow, for the families and communities that the Foundation touches with its projects. And as a company, as well as a family, we are honored to be able to be a living and integral part of this mission”.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks go to: AGC Italia, Andrea Vaccarini, ARREDI 3N S.R.L., ARTinoise S.r.l., Ballini E Monteverde S.n.c., BDR Bureau Arch. Alberto Bottero and Simona Della Rocca, the Bianchi Group STP, Bioedil VUESSE s.r.l., and CENTER TECNICA S.R.L.
Our deepest thanks go to the Municipality of Macerata, Di.Ba Spa, Eko Guitars, Elettro System S.r.l., Fortinet, Fruttilandia Di Tesei Maurizio E Giovannini Maurizio, Gruppo Giardini, and Impresa Papa Enrico S.R.L.
Thanks also go to Paolo Bianchi, Martina Barigelli, Gianluca Serpilli, Massimiliano Ballanti, the SCM Group, Spazio Arredo s.r.l., Subissati S.r.l., Targetti Sankey S.r.l., TLF s.r.l., UAOH SRLS, Videoworks S.p.a., and Yamaha Music Europe GmbH – Italy Branch.
Special thanks go to Andrea Paris, Chiara Galiazzo, Carmine Recano, Andrea Paris, and Alberto Tomba.
And a big thank you goes to the Andrea Bocelli Foundation Board of Directors and all the ABF team members and volunteers who are always at the forefront of our projects.