University of Macerata. Loggia del Grano.

The renovation of the former Loggia del Grano building, is one of the three projects in the POR-FESR 2014-2020 funding framework with which the Marches Regional Authorities assigned 7 million euros to the University of Macerata for seismic and energy efficiency improvement. The University decided to use these funds for Palazzina Tucci, the Loggia del Grano (former grain warehouse) and the Old Seminary. 

At the Loggia del Grano, in addition to the seismic safety and energy efficiency improvement requirements, stipulated in the ministerial (Min Decree 1121/2019) and university grants, the building has also been adapted to comply with fire safety regulations and restored at an architectural level. This includes a practical reorganisation of the rooms and the installation of new multimedia equipment for the classrooms and libraries.
The energy efficiency improvements made at the Loggia del Grano and financed with the aforementioned POR FESR 2014-2020 funds include: replacing windows and doors, renovating electrical and thermal systems, installing a hybrid thermal power plant equipped with energy-efficient heat pumps, and LED relamping. These improvements have resulted in an energy performance class A1 rating as well as reducing annual primary energy consumption by 556,672.33 KWh/year.

iGuzzini contributed to this modernization and energy efficiency drive by supplying luminaires that offer significant energy savings on account of their efficiency. 
A limited number of product types were selected to suit the functions required for the different areas. Spotlights and pendant or recessed luminaires were the main choices. White finish Tecnica Evo spotlights fitted primarily with Wide Flood optics were mounted in transit areas, like corridors, and stairways. Whereas, in areas requiring pendant or recessed luminaires, Light Shed luminaires fitted with General Lighting optics were installed. 4000 K was the colour temperature chosen, and Superrail pendant modules were positioned in the break area. 
Light Shed luminaires were also used in areas where people stay longer to listen to lectures or to study and consult texts. And different gold, green, blue, and grey finishes help to identify the various classrooms.

Particular efforts were made to animate and brighten up these spaces using vivid colours and different luminous cones on the spotlights. This need for variation is also linked to the fact that in contemporary environment design, it is now perfectly normal for spaces to have more than a single function. So, a classroom or library, for example, are not just a classroom or library. Lecture halls are often used for meetings that are open to the public, and libraries may also stage book presentations or faculty board meetings. The lighting system therefore needs to be flexible, and internet connections as well as amplification and projection equipment are required. Spaces for socializing and sharing have also been made available to meet students’ increasing demands. These include the Loggia del Grano reading room. Here, the physical space taken up by books - most of which are kept in archives that only the librarians can access - has been deliberately reduced in order to leave as much room as possible for students.

Both Tecnica Evo and Light Shed luminaires fit perfectly into this environment whose renovation deliberately highlights the technical systems, which include the white-painted conduits for the electrical and ventilation equipment mounted on the ceiling. The new bracing structures have also been incorporated into the building’s design, recalling the "joyful urban machine" idea that inspired Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers for the Pompidou Centre in Paris. 

The consolidation of the Loggia del Grano building has even led to changes in the way some of the spaces are used. One example is the multi-purpose room created from what was previously a small hall leading to classrooms, which have now become offices reached by a perimeter corridor. The previous entrances to the classrooms have been closed and the hall is now used as a multi-purpose room in which lectures can be held as well as meetings and gatherings. After analysing different solutions, the lighting that previously relied on wall-mounted lamps is now provided by Tecnica Evo spotlights fitted on mains voltage tracks mounted parallel to the lecturers’ table, just below the windows. In this room, the windows are quite small and located high up on the walls, so the artificial light also descends from above like natural light during the day.