Flexible spaces for students at the San Carlo College. Design and attention to acoustic comfort

Two sharing spaces were created in 2018 for the students of the San Carlo College. Two young and creative spaces designed to relax, study and socialize.

The first is Magenta 71,  a cafeteria, designed by studio A4A Rivolta Savioni Architetti, which doubles the surfaces of the old bar with lounges, tables and seats arranged on different levels. Even the atmosphere is all new and makes the environment cool, cozy and comfortable.

The space is characterized by a palette of colours designed in shades of green and antique pink. A checkered upholstery reminiscent of school notebooks, the tiled counter with coloured joints, the large black and light lamps give a "graphic" atmosphere and character to the space. Much attention has been paid to detail and research into materials: marble for the coffee tables, brass for the hanging lamps and African fabrics for the cushions produced by women in a Senegalese cooperative.

The second space, Zenale Otto, is instead a smaller and more flexible space that incorporates a cafeteria, a bookcase and a location for small events. Like a fluid landscape, it changes configuration thanks to flexible furnishings that can be easily moved and also change function when necessary.

In fact, the book display becomes a small stage for the guests of the shows, while the low bookshelf with its broken pattern becomes a tribune for the public. An alternation of bright colours on the walls, from green to fluorescent yellow with natural wood and marble grit. To decorate the walls, quotes and images of great men in a large size.

To combine the projects of the A4A RivoltaSavioniArchitetti studio, there is a great attention to the acoustic comfort of the spaces. For both rooms, the sound absorbing wooden wool panels of the ACOUSTIC|DESIGN division of CELENIT were chosen. Specifically, this is the CELENIT ABE product, with an extra-thin texture, in the colour NATURE and with rounded edges on all sides.

The particular superficial conformation of the CELENIT panels makes them natural sound absorbers, capable of reducing the annoying phenomenon of reverberation, very frequent in crowded rooms. In this specific case, the application of sound absorbing panels on a traditional metal structure, offers excellent sound absorption performance, boasting certified α w values of up to 0,95, and at the same time guarantees the absence of harmful emissions for users, an adequate light reflection and excellent performance in reaction to fire.

In addition to the excellent performance, the wood wool panels were chosen for the guarantee of eco-compatibility. They consist of natural raw materials, wood (PEFC certified), Portland cement, water and marble dust (recycled content) and the production process has reduced emissions and is not harmful to the environment. And the choice of the panel not painted, recalls precisely the natural color of spruce wood.