The project focuses on the functional adaptation of areas pertaining to the Bionatural Hub in Sassari. The primary building will house study areas, offices, laboratories and the university museum, whereas the secondary building will include classrooms, auditoriums, a library and administration offices. The intervention also includes the repurposing of outdoor areas, to be used for the creation of the University Botanical Gardens, divided into two sections. The Botanical Gardens will cover a surface area of about seven hectares on the external area of the Bionatural Hub. Originally the site of historic gardens, this plot of land is currently neglected, as the ancient cultivation patterns have almost disappeared.

One of the core objectives of the project is the creation of botanical gardens able to integrate urban areas and a countryside setting, as well as converting the entire area into a vital “social living” place suitable for meetings, cultural events and recreational activities: all initiatives need to be in line with the project’s goals, the operations, functions and strategies of the Botanic Gardens that are well outlined by the Botanic Gardens Conservation International organization.

As for the completion of the Bionatural Hub, plans include the creation of the Hub’s main building, a number of departmental structures (study areas, offices and workshops) and the university museum, while in the secondary building will be fitted with classrooms, auditoriums, a library and administration offices. The project has been devised in full compliance with the functional and dimensional requirements outlined by the University: therefore, it encompasses a careful reorganization of the parking areas close to the buildings, the creation of stalls for bus parking equipped with flowerbeds and trees, the construction of pergolas with vine plant species native or suitable to the Mediterranean area that would  guarantee the presence of covered areas.

All internal pedestrian and traffic paths have been appropriately organized, guaranteeing different accesses and paths according to all different types of visitors for the museum, the gardens or the university hub. One of the main interventions consists in the creation of elevated paths between the two existing buildings, in order to connect the main building with the classrooms areas and the library.  The closed paths will feature a seamless glass wall. The construction of the other buildings and their internal space organization has been defined by the University in relation to functional needs for archives, libraries, laboratories, administration offices, cafés, classrooms, and toilet areas.

The Botanical Gardens will be divided into two different sections: the first, destined to “systematic and thematic collection areas”, will host the collections of herb and shrubbery species, organized by families, for exhibition, teaching and research purposes; the second area is destined to “habitat environments”, and will host collections of shrubbery and tree species replicating the main habitats of Sardinia, with the presence of multifunctional equipment available to a wider public.

Additionally, the garden is fitted with a number of structures, such as greenhouses, rooms for administration services, support and maintenance operations (dressing rooms, laboratories, archives), a visitor area and bookshop: these areas are located in the rooms at the ground floor of the building currently in use. The project also includes construction of auxiliary structures such as weather stations, toilets, a Greek-style cavea seating area for outdoor performances and refreshment areas.