Public reconstruction after L’Aquila 2009 earthquake: the case study of the ex-nursery school in “Viale Duca degli Abruzzi”

Following L’Aquila 2009 earthquake, the complex process of recon-struction of public heritage, which is still ongoing, began. The renovation works with seismic improvement of the ex-nursery school in “Viale Duca degli Abruzzi”, recently completed, concerned a building built between the 30s and 40s of the twen-tieth century, originally designed for the social purposes of the National Organi-zation for the Protection of Maternity and Childhood (O.N.M.I.) as “Mother and Child’s House”. The construction is a typical expression of rationalist architecture: following the violent earthquake of 2009, it didn’t have significant damage, that is a sign of the building’s good behavior towards both static and seismic loads. In fact, the improvement of the structural behavior versus seismic actions was achieved with minimally invasive interventions. From a functional point of view, the project confirmed the building’s voca-tion to host a collective service, like a senior center and youth space. The project respects the conservation cultural heritage criteria, but, at the same time, satisfies the contemporary needs for reuse adding new volumes in steel. The material con-trast between old and new underlines the recognisability of the additions, without competing with the architectural elements of the rationalist tradition, appropriately preserved.