The new Punto Luce of Save the Children by AOUMM in Milan is a socio-educational centre dedicated to children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 17.

This is the first building constructed from the ground up by Save the Children and aims to become a point of reference for the Gallaratese district: a place for sharing and functionality, offering opportunities to participate in educational and training activities as well as workshops.

AOUMM's intervention transformed a site formerly occupied by a deteriorated prefabricated structure—abandoned since 2008—into a hub of creativity and inclusion.

The 3,027 sqm area, of which 900 sqm is built space, houses educational labs, music and digital activity rooms, a teaching kitchen, gardens, and outdoor recreational areas. It also includes an independent 70 sqm space designed for use by local associations.

A central aspect of the design process was engaging with schools—key partners in identifying and supporting children at high risk of educational deprivation—as well as families, teenagers, and local organisations, following the model implemented by Save the Children across its centres throughout Italy.

"From the outset, we initiated a co-design process with Save the Children and the area’s main stakeholders: teachers, NGOs, and civil society organisations. We engaged with the local youth community to ensure that their ideas and needs were at the core of project planning.

All of these contributions informed and shaped the final design," explain the architects at AOUMM.

The new Punto Luce, made possible through the demolition of the old structure, stands out for its organic and geometrically complex form. The architecture is integrated into a landscaped garden featuring trees, pathways, and permeable paving squares. At its heart lies a more intimate, sheltered courtyard designed specifically for young users.Sustainable choices are prioritised: a green roof and photovoltaic system, a prefabricated timber structure, and the reuse of the existing basement and foundations—all contribute to reducing the environmental and social impact of the construction process.

"We didn’t want to simply construct a building, but to create a space that would invite young people in, spark their curiosity and make them feel welcome. The project grew from listening to their ideas and dreams. We gave form to a structure that is open, bright, and visually connected to the neighbourhood. In particular, the green roof—with its sedum that changes colour with the seasons - is intended as a gift to the community: a new façade, a kind of secret garden for residents of the surrounding buildings who, for decades, had only seen decay and abandonment ".

Various types of untreated wood were used in the project: fir for the columns and load-bearing structure, okoumé and larch for the external cladding. The latter, chosen for its warm, pinkish hues, was also selected for how it ages over time—exposed to the sun, it will naturally change colour and appearance, expressing an architecture that gracefully ages and narrates the passage of time.

"We wanted the building to feel like a living organism, constantly evolving. In 15 or 20 years, we could even renew the façade simply by reversing the wooden slats. It’s a circular, conscious, and poetic approach. This project exemplifies how our studio applies research-based design in an interdisciplinary manner—integrating a specific contextual analysis with the programme’s functional requirements, the needs of future users, and environmental considerations," Astorri concludes.

The new facility features an irregular circular shape with a completely open floor plan, made possible by the radial arrangement of glulam timber portals and the use of prefabricated sandwich panel walls to enclose the structure.

The adoption of an open prefabrication system significantly reduced construction time, with the entire process completed in approximately 12 months.

Due to its lighter weight compared to the previous structure, the new building was erected on the original foundations, avoiding extensive excavation, demolition, and reconstruction work.

The building is conceived as a public, open, and permeable space, placing the neighbourhood’s youth community at its core. The central courtyard and surrounding garden are designed as extensions of the interior spaces, creating a protected environment that ensures strong continuity between indoors and outdoors.

The structure is strategically oriented, and the roof geometry has been carefully designed to provide shading to the south-facing façade during summer months, reducing solar heat gain. The structure and walls are made of PEFC-certified timber, with layered insulation systems to ensure optimal comfort and minimize energy loss.

Skylights provide natural daylighting, reducing the need for artificial light. They are equipped with sensors that monitor temperature, humidity, and CO₂ levels, opening automatically to enhance natural ventilation.

These passive strategies contribute to energy efficiency while improving occupant comfort and well-being.

A rainwater harvesting system has been installed for irrigation, alongside high-efficiency HVAC systems, an air quality monitoring system integrated with the roof windows, a DALI2 smart lighting system, and a photovoltaic power plant.

The organic, irregular yet fluid shape defines a compact architecture that opens both visually and physically to its surroundings, fostering a constant dialogue between interior and exterior spaces.

The building’s perimeter is punctuated by large glazed openings that create a visual connection between the indoor spaces—dedicated to educational workshops, music, theatre, reading, digital activities, and multipurpose use—and the outdoor areas intended for play and recreational activities.

These outdoor zones are conceived as immediate extensions of the educational environments, allowing educators to maintain direct visual supervision, ensuring safety and active monitoring.

The landscape design is articulated through a sequence of thresholds, each defining a distinct moment:

• The central courtyard, paved and enhanced with light tree coverage, serves as a protected space for collective activities and open-air workshops.

• The peripheral play areas, immersed in a diverse planting scheme, are designed for free play, informal gatherings, or quiet moments of reading and studying outdoors.

• The educational garden, located near the southern area, serves as a vital pedagogical tool where children can engage with natural cycles, experience cultivation first-hand, and develop a sense of environmental responsibility and care. Perimeter trees and the site's elevation relative to the street provide partial visual screening and protection without compromising overall transparency and visual permeability.

The pedestrian path system guides visitors from the entrance through the landscaped composition to the various functional areas within the centre. The choice of plant species is inspired by the local phytoclimatic context, with a focus on native, low-maintenance varieties, facilitating participatory maintenance activities involving the children themselves. As a whole, the project creates an open, accessible, and inclusive educational environment that fosters curiosity and social interaction, while highlighting the integration of architecture, pedagogy, and landscape.

Form Serving Education The circular shape of the Punto Luce emerged from a collaborative dialogue between AOUMM and Save the Children’s pedagogical team, with the goal of translating some of the most advanced principles in childhood and adolescent education into architectural form. The Punto Luce is designed as a fluid space, free from rigid hierarchies, where interior and exterior areas are perceived as a continuous whole. The circular layout creates a welcoming and inclusive environment in which various activities can take place simultaneously, allowing children and teenagers to observe, become curious, and be inspired by each other’s experiences.

Participants can move freely from a music workshop to a theatre activity, from a reading area to a fab lab, engaging with peers of different ages and interests—a model that encourages cross- disciplinary learning and mutual enrichment. As Loris Malaguzzi, founder of the Reggio Emilia approach, stated: "Space is the third teacher " The physical environment must stimulate curiosity, experimentation, and interaction, offering young people the opportunity to learn not only from content, but also from others and from the context that surrounds them.

Similarly, Maria Montessori emphasised the importance of preparing an environment that "responds to developmental needs" and "invites the child to engage in independent experience". In this light, the Punto Luce becomes a pedagogical tool in itself: the central courtyard and surrounding garden serve as natural extensions of educational activities, while the open and transparent interior spaces promote socialisation and collaboration. “The new Punto Luce, through its visual and physical permeability, is conceived as a civic space for youth—designed not only to foster learning, but also to strengthen people’s sense of belonging within the neighbourhood”.