Projects
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12/15/2025
Building community through roofing
The new Rodari primary school embodies a new design paradigm that blends innovation with nature
The Gianni Rodari Primary School in Conegliano (northern Italy) is an innovative example of sustainable and community-oriented educational architecture. The circular, single-storey layout places classrooms around a central shared space, fostering interaction and a strong connection with nature. Conceived as a Nearly Zero Energy Building, the project integrates sustainable building methods and technologies. High-performance, certified waterproofing solutions by Polyglass contribute to durability, safety and comfort.
The new Gianni Rodari primary school in Conegliano (Northern Italy) amounts to much more than a just a building and is one of the first in Italy to adopt the model of circular, modular spaces. Designed by C+S Architects, it is an exemplar of sustainable school architecture, built with materials that can be re-used at the end of their life cycle. Innovation goes hand in hand with environmental responsibility in this building, which is designed to educate, welcome and inspire.
The architectural design, produced by Carlo Cappai and Maria Alessandra Segantini, founders of C+S Architects, is based on a circular footprint that breaks up the rigid hierarchy between classroom and corridor typically found in traditional school buildings. The building consists of a single storey, surrounded by greenery, and houses 10 classrooms arranged around its perimeter, to ensure an uninterrupted connection with the outdoor environment. The heart of the complex is a bright, open, collective space, designed to foster interaction, dialogue and collaborative learning. One of the most distinctive features of the Rodari school is its smart use of natural light, which floods in through the skylights and walls, to create welcoming, stimulating, light-filled environments.
The building consists of a single circular storey surrounded by greenery. Its roof was waterproofed with Polyglass solutions.
A model for school architecture
Sustainability is more than just an abstract value; it is a practical construction principle. The Rodari school is designed as a Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB), which minimises consumption by adopting advanced solutions, such as geothermal, photovoltaic and rainwater recovery systems. The entire facility is built using a dry construction system, so that the materials can be dismantled and re-used at the end of their life cycle. The concept of circularity in this project backs up the concept of sustainability.
Polyglass played a key role in the waterproofing works, for both the foundations and the roofing. The use of special membranes, such as Polyvap Radonshield P-AL, which also acts as a barrier against radon gas, and Mapeplan T M 18 Broof (t2) MR, a fire-resistant synthetic membrane with high solar reflectance, highlights the design’s emphasis on the durability, safety and circularity of the materials. The installation of the waterproof layers, with the technical support from Polyglass, adhered to stringent criteria certified by third parties, to guarantee high quality of the work.
The layering system for the roof was constructed on a cementitious substrate, over which the contractors applied Mapeplan VB PE SD 220, a vapour control layer, and a layer of insulating panels, fixed with mechanical fasteners. They then fixed the waterproof layer, Mapeplan T M 18 Broof (t2) MR, under the overlap, using mechanical fasteners. The resulting layering system is a Bureau Veritas certified system, covered by a “Certificate of conformity” in accordance with the current Italian standards and the IGLAE (Institute for the Guarantee of Works Related to Construction) Code of practice.
When waterproofing the roofs of the Gianni Rodari school, the contractors applied Mapeplan VB PE SD 220, a vapour control layer, over the cementitious substrate, and then fixed Mapeplan T M 18 Broof (t2) MR using mechanical fasteners.
Forward-thinking design
The Rodari school stems from the research pathway that C+S Architects have been following since the 1990s, with designs that have redefined the concept of school space in both urban and peripheral settings. Their schools are internationally known and have been used as models of best practice in the drafting of Italian Ministry of Education and Merit guidelines. They were also among the exhibits at the 15th Venice Biennale.
The school in Conegliano is recognised as an innovative project and a state-of-the-art architectural model for school building, which fulfils all the functional and spatial needs of a primary school, while at the same time boosting the potential of the common areas by turning them into places where the whole community can come together, meet and exchange ideas.
Designed as a Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB), the school makes use of advanced engineering solutions, such as the photovoltaic panels covering the entire roof.
Project information
Gianni Rodari primary school, Parè di Conegliano (Italy)
Period of construction: 2024 – January 2025
Period of the Polyglass intervention: 2024-January 2025
Design: C+S Architects ltd
Works direction: Pool Engineering Srl
Main contractor: IA2 Buildings Srl
Waterproofing contractor: Elmap Srl
Polyglass coordination: Francesca Lovato, Fausto Tessari, Polyglass SpA
Polyglass products
Waterproofing roofs: Mapeplan T M 18 Broof (T2) MR, Mapeplan VB PE SD 220, Polyvap Radonshield P-AL
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