C+S's Path of EDUcare

The installation by Treviso-based C+S Architects is titled EDUcare, which combines education and care; they assert the latter is lacking in business-as-usual school designs. The firm's thoughtful approach to educational buildings aim to become, in their words: "open spaces where kids [have] multicultural experiences; colored nodes in the gray landscapes; recognizable objects in the sprawl city; and spaces to be used after school hours, to be activated by communities. The Chiarano Primary School and Ponzano Primary School are good examples of their approach.

Documentation of their schools is found on the raised floor, but it is the bright red ramp that gets the most attention. The looping ramp starts and ends in the same spot, curling itself around one of the Arsenale's columns as it gently rises and falls. Traversing the ramp is fun, especially with kids present; a couple of them were bouncing as I made my way up the ramp, making it shake dramatically. Capturing C+S's schol designs through a memorable experience, this "colored node in the gray landscape" is a highlight of the exhibition in the Arsenale.