The University of Padua has commissioned us to construct its new Faculty of Engineering, with the innovation center to be built on the grounds of the Padua Fair. The project, designed by Studio Settanta7 from Turin, features a 24-meter-high building with a terrace, accommodating 21 lecture halls with a total of 3,520 seats, four study rooms with 120 seats, and two laboratories for 120 people.

The rectangular building has two cantilevered sections on its southern side, extending from the first floor to the roof, suggesting an opening that creates a dialogue with the surroundings.

The central part of the facade, facing both south and north, is characterized by large floor-to-ceiling windows, which are shielded from the southern sun by a shading system with horizontal slats. The CLT building is arranged over three levels, oriented towards the south, in the direction of Lake Fimon. A total of 2,540 m³ of CLT and 1,030 m³ of glulam were used for the construction.

It took only four months to see how quickly prefabricated wooden elements can be assembled on-site. The new innovation center was constructed on load-bearing wooden structures. We have now completed all floors of the new building and successfully finished the assembly.

Our Xlam wall panels extend over two floors. We produced the prefabricated wooden ceilings as thin as possible to increase the height of the classrooms. The roof slab consists of prefabricated “caisson” panels, and the roof covering is made of two different types of 3-layer Xlam panels.

Starting in 2025, the next generation of engineers will acquire their knowledge in this modern wooden building in a learning-friendly atmosphere. A key focus of the university’s concept was on spaces for cooperative learning and promoting interaction between students and faculty. To ensure a sustainable overall concept, the innovation center will be certified according to the LEED protocol and achieve the energy class ZEB (nearly zero-energy building).