Creating a new contemporary identity. Palestra di Merate by MD41

Italian architecture studio MD41 was commissioned to design the new school gym in Merate, a town and commune in the south of the province of Lecco, located in Lombardy region, Italy. The new gym is situated within a school complex adding a new character.

The design objective provided a new identity through contemporary architecture to a school complex where brick was the clear protagonist. The gym seeks to become a reference within the school complex thanks to a simple aesthetic appearance of simple but equally expressive volumes.

Palestra di Merate by MD41. Photograph by Marcello Mariana.

The design by MD41 locates and defines the sports areas and closed functions in the main volume, organizing the interior space based on the sports court, and finding only the spaces necessary for sports practice in the building. On the west side, another outdoor sports court surrounded by green spaces ensures connections with the school and extracurricular activities.

The grey volume that forms the new gym is interrupted by glazing that establishes visual and functional connections with the school complex through a large window on the southwest side of the building. The yellow colour stands out in the interior, creating a play of colour that brings uniqueness to the whole.

Palestra di Merate by MD41. Photograph by Marcello Mariana.

Project description by MD41

Realizing a building, giving character to the whole school centre, has been the main design goal, thus determining a new identity through contemporary architecture, contributing to the production of an expressive and figurative capacity for a new architectural quality.

The site, with its features, makes the project a hinge role between the interior and the exterior, establishing visual relationships through a large window on the southwest side, ensuring connections with the school and extra-school activities, through the arrangement of the green area present on the west side. The new gymnasium is intended to be a landmark for the school complex, appearing as a pure and extremely simple volume, where sports areas and closed functions are located and clearly defined.

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More information

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Architects

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MD41.

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Collaborators

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Valsecchi serramenti.

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Client

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Merate Municipality.

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Area

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800 sqm.

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Dates

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Job assignment.- 2018.
Start of construction work.- 2020.
Completed.- 2024.

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Location

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Merate, Italy.

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Budget

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€ 1,500,000.

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Photography

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Marcello Mariana.

Fabrizio Michielon, Sergio de Gioia. MD41

MD41. Architecture studio based in Fiesso d'Artico (Venice) founded by Fabrizio Michielon and Sergio de Gioia in 2024 as a business unit of MIDE srl. dedicated to complex building projects, and specialized in work spaces and public spaces.

Under a pragmatic and tailored approach, it combines analysis and project intuition to create meaningful and adaptable architecture. Each project is a unique expression of iconic architecture, where structural and technological elements are ordered through clear and incisive language.

The MD41 team is made up of multidisciplinary professionals, including architects, engineers, surveyors and experts. They work in different sectors, using BIM to integrate the skills of geologists, acousticians and technicians specialized in the energy management of buildings, in the coordination of safety at construction sites and in the fight against fires.

Published on: May 2, 2024

Cite: "Creating a new contemporary identity. Palestra di Merate by MD41" METALOCUS. Accessed

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