“Pope John XXIII” university training center, the new green area

Bergamo. It takes more and more shape ‘Pope John XXIII’ university training center in via Ninì Da Fanothanks to its new green area inaugurated on Tuesday morning (25 June).

It is a garden of 12 thousand square meters, equipped with dehors, pedestrian paths and street furniture available to students and teachers of the three-year degree courses of the Milan-Bicocca University (Physiotherapy, Nursing, Obstetrics and Medical Radiological Imaging and Radiotherapy Technicians) and of the Master’s Degree Course in Single Cycle in Medicine and Surgery organized inter-university with the University of Bergamo and the University of Surrey, United Kingdom. Much of the area can be explored via a main pedestrian path, illuminated by LEDs and interspersed with rest areas, in a highly natural setting thanks to the planting of tall trees and shrubs which offer refreshment in the hottest periods and which, with the change of seasons, they will enrich the area with ever new colors and shapes.

“With this redevelopment intervention – he explained Francesco Locati, general director of the Papa Giovanni XXIII Asst – we wanted to offer students a green space that can be used during breaks in the academic day, before or after lessons and also an area to study. It is a further step forward in our green vocation, which sees an important green component in the architecture of many of its structures. Just think of the Papa Giovanni hospital and the Borgo Palazzo Community House, set in urban contexts but surrounded by green areas of great impact and extension. Our company has also long been committed to mitigating the energy-intensive nature that characterizes healthcare facilities, with important efforts to reduce energy consumption and polluting emissions.”

The works, designed and directed by the architect Edi Vuillermoz and the landscape designer Luigi Bovisiowere carried out by the company Coedil Costruzioni Generali Spa, a consortium member of AR.CO. Lavori Scc, under the supervision of the Sole Procedure Manager Alessandro Frigenidirector of the Technical Asset Management of Pope John XXIII, assisted by collaborators Mauro Sertori And Maximilian Pheasantswith an investment of 1.093.500 eurosupported byAsst Pope Johnowner of the property.

“The presence of this training center – underlines the mayor of Bergamo, Elena Carnevali – sees the growth of our territory that attractiveness necessary to enhance the students who attend the spaces. The ‘Papa Giovanni’ has a far-sighted approach in terms of sustainability, just like the Municipality of Bergamo; the objectives set can be achieved thanks to the agreements made. I come from this background and I am very envious of the students and those who come out thanks to this innovative center, because comfort in the places where you live is fundamental. From this virtuous collaboration the Bergamo territory will offer the possibility of living well in Bergamo, thus growing together”.

Data in hand, the new center, inaugurated in October 2023, hosts over 600 students, thanks to its 17 classrooms, 4 for exercises, 7 study spaces, 5 changing rooms, a meeting room and several offices. Furthermore, the redevelopment works also involved the construction of an adjacent car park, for a total surface area of ​​approximately 1,200 square metres.

Part of the plants planted were donated to the Asst Pope John XXIII by Lions International Bergamo Colleoni. These are 15 specimens of ash, field maple, hornbeam and mountain ash, native species, therefore resilient, which fit well into the landscape and adapt to the urban environment and climatic extremes. Furthermore, these essences encourage biodiversity by supporting bees and birds and underline the passage of the seasons through the colors of foliage and berries.

An ethical choice at the service of the community, as is the mission of the Lions Club: “We are at the forefront of the environmental cause to combat territorial fragility and pollution – underlines Giulia Serafinipresident of the association – and we are proud to collaborate with local institutions such as the Asst Papa Giovanni of Bergamo”. “We are proud – he added Tullia Vecchiinstitutional relations representative Lions International Bergamo Colleoni – to collaborate for the second time, after having contributed to the creation of the ‘Bosco della Memoria’, a national monument in memory of the victims of Covid 2019″.

“These are the initiatives that are good for the association – reiterates the regional councilor, Claudia Terzi -, to the students and to the entire Bergamo community. The icing on the cake of an advanced training center, capable of increasing the quality level of our Asst, is a step forward that says a lot about attention to detail”.

The redevelopment works of the external area of ​​the university training center also involved the construction of a car park on a total surface area of ​​1,200 m2. The building in via Nini da Fano, a few steps from the Papa Giovanni hospital, was the subject of renovation works from October 2020 to summer 2023. A redevelopment that has maintained its educational vocation and the distinctive architectural characteristics of the building, including the external façade cladding in brick and river bead and the prismatic skylights. In the new center there is space for 17 classrooms, 4 classrooms for exercises, 7 study spaces, 5 changing rooms, a meeting room and several offices. It is estimated that up to 450 people pass through every day, including students, teachers and support staff.