Rebuilding the R. Frau Vocational School for Industry and Craftsmanship in San Ginesio, Marche – an area affected by the 2016 earthquake. Directly transforming the lives of 120 local young people.
The context: the need and the challenge
The project is being delivered in the area hit by the 2016 earthquake, where many schools were left unusable and students and teachers spent years in temporary facilities. In San Ginesio, the R. Frau Vocational School for Industry and Craftsmanship – which welcomed more than 150 students before the earthquake – was badly damaged: 95% of the town’s public buildings and 68% of its private homes were declared unfit for use. The school was moved to temporary, poorly suited premises, causing enrolment to fall and severely limiting the quality of education it could provide.
The complexity of the rebuilding process delayed the project for years. Heritage restrictions, procurement difficulties and contractor-management issues required a complete rethink of the strategy, which could only move forward following the adoption of a dedicated Special Reconstruction Order.
ABF’s response
For the first time in Italy, the Andrea Bocelli Foundation was appointed to design and manage a €9 million public works project financed through funds administered by the Special Commissioner, under Order No. 28 of 25/10/2021.
In 2022, ABF’s multidisciplinary team completed every stage of the institute’s design – preliminary, detailed and construction design – working closely with:
- the Special Commissioner
- the Municipality of San Ginesio
- the school
- the Special Reconstruction Office for the Marche Region (USR)
This collaboration offers an innovative model of public-private partnership based on joint planning, co-design and shared delivery. The construction site was handed over in January 2024 and work is progressing to schedule. The new institute is expected to welcome students in September 2026, giving the local community back a modern, strategically important educational hub.
Why it matters
- After years in temporary facilities, students needed a safe, modern and earthquake-resistant school.
- Appropriate teaching and learning conditions had to be restored for both students and staff.
- Technical and vocational education needed fresh momentum to support a local economy built on craftsmanship and small businesses.
- The project offered an opportunity to create an innovative, nationally replicable model of public-private collaboration.
- Championing next-generation master artisans as the backbone of Made in Italy.
The project
Partners: Special Commissioner for Reconstruction, Special Reconstruction Office for the Marche Region (USR), Municipality of San Ginesio, R. Frau Vocational School for Industry and Craftsmanship, and ABF’s multidisciplinary team.
Key activities:
- Integrated planning across architecture, education, engineering, budgeting and institutional relations.
- Rebuilding the institute across approximately 3,500 m², with three blocks dedicated to teaching, practical workshops and sport.
- Creating flexible, inclusive spaces for different learning styles.
- Developing specialist vocational labs for the institute’s two study pathways:
- Mechanics / Electronics / Automation / Robotics / Industrial IT
- Woodworking / Furniture / Design / Violin Making (under development)
- A 40 kWp photovoltaic system and Class IV seismic certification.
Project phases
- 2021-2022: appointment, Order No. 28, and concept, detailed and construction design.
- January 2024: construction site handed over following a public tender.
- 2024-2026: construction and fit-out.
- September 2026: planned opening of the new institute.
