Sustainable territorial redevelopment: "Cubo" is born in Trigoria, the new nearly zero-energy teaching facility of the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome

A "Cultural Box" for the human and professional growth of university students. With about 10.000 new square meters and 38.000 square meters of public green, the university in the capital is growing: a simulation center, new classrooms and an auditorium with 300 seats are planned. The new building, the first of the master plan to 2045, reconnects the urban fabric to the Decima Malafede nature reserve

Rome, 27 October 2021 - The new teaching building will be called "CUBO".Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma which will develop over an area of ​​approximately 10.000 square meters with high sustainability and an endowment of public green area of ​​38.000 mWork on the new "Cultural Box" started in June 2021 in the area between the University Hospital and the Advanced Research Center in Biomedicine and Bioengineering. The building will be usable for the 2022/23 academic year: with "CUBO" the university campus located between the Trigoria district and the Decima Malafede Nature Reserve grows thanks to a large sustainable territorial redevelopment project.

The moment of laying the first stone of the new building was celebrated on Wednesday 27 October 2021 in a ceremony attended by Felice Barela, President UCBM, Raffaele Calabrò, UCBM Rector, Giuseppe Garofano, President of CBM SpA, Nicola Zingaretti, President of the Lazio Region, Gianni Letta e Giancarlo Giorgetti, Minister of Economic Development with a video streamed speech.

La territorial redevelopment sustainable, architecturally and energetically, it is at the center of the expansion project of theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, the “PiùCampus” development plan to 2045, which will gradually lead to the doubling of the university's structures dedicated to teaching, research, medical assistance and cultural outreach.

A project capable of reconnect the city with the largest protected green area in Rome giving life to a one of a kind university park. With the new teaching building theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma is enriched with an innovative space to offer opportunities for study and growth to tomorrow's professionals most in demand by the labor market such as doctors, health professionals, biomedical engineers, industrialists, chemists for sustainable development and artificial intelligence experts but also to nutrition professionals, supply chain managers and food technologists.

A project in full harmony with the values ​​on which theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, born in 1993 with the aim of creating a university capable of offering a valid path of professional and human training and to respond to the needs of the person at three hundred and sixty degrees. A large project of training, assistance and scientific research united by the motto "Science for man".

“With the start of the works of the new “CUBO” teaching buildingUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma gives impetus to the development of a large portion of the area of ​​southern Rome, characterizing it in the infrastructural and environmental quality of the spaces – recalled the president Felice Barela - They are at the center of our action the value of relationships, the personal well-being and respect for nature, with the aim of giving the users of the University, the Campus Bio-Medico Polyclinic and the entire capital new spaces and greater livability of the Decima Malafede Regional Nature Reserve. But this is not just an extra building, an increase in space. It is an element that is part of a long-term plan (Masterplan 2045) and an important piece of the 2021-2023 strategic plan, drawn up in recent months, which is found to be in great harmony with the strategic lines indicated by the NRRP and the NGEU ”.

"In the last five years, despite the pandemic, our university has seen a strong growth in the educational offer and in the number of students who actively participate in university life – explained the rector Raffaele Calabrò – going from 1700 to over 2200 currently, with rapid growth expected in the coming years. The need to expand the facilities available to future doctors, engineers and experts in nutrition and the food supply chain who have chosen Ucbm has been felt for some time. The new building will offer multiple solutions for innovative teaching thanks to its modular structure, and will fit into the context of the territory in a discreet manner and in the name of real sustainability with almost zero impact. The name that was chosen is “Cube”, which in some way is in continuity with the “Trapezium”. Beyond the geometric shape, the desire is that this “CUBE” is the synthesis and union of two words: CUltural BOx and that is a place of culture, thought, vision and impact at the service of the person and society”.

“Campus Bio-Medico Spa deals with the development of new projects at the service of the growth of the university, making its managerial and entrepreneurial resources available - has explained Giuseppe Garofano, president of CBM Spa - Its shareholders are non-profit organizations, entrepreneurs, private and institutional investors. Together we believe that it is necessary to train people who know how to respond with passion to their professional vocation and put themselves at the service of society. Inside the CUltural BOx there will be engineers, sustainability experts, nurses, our future ruling class, researchers and doctors who will treat patients and take charge of human relationships, relationships with patients and family members. There will be people who passionately love their work and the world and who, I am sure, will not stop helping to renew it.”

One of the main characteristics of the new building will be that of being “Nearly Zero Energy” classifiable to NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building) e certifiable in class A2 according to the energy efficiency legislation. The building will not use combustion heat production systems, thus achieving the Scope 1 of the Internationally Drafted Environmental Sustainability Protocol (Greenhouse Gas Protocol) to achieve neutrality (Carbon Neutral – Carbon Zero) with regard to CO2 emissions. The heat will be supplied by trigenerator of the University General Hospital while the cold will be produced by refrigeration systems capable of reducing energy consumption by 50 percent.

The green areas of the Decima Malafede Nature Reserve they will integrate more with those present within the perimeter of the University. New public green areas will be created and maintained byUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma to make the area even more usable and reconnect the Trigoria neighborhood to the Nature Reserve, the heritage of all citizens.

The new building, the first of the Masterplan to 2045, was designed by the Labics studio, winner together with Topotek1 of the International Design Competition "UCBM Masterplan International Design Competition” announced by Campus Bio-Medico SpA, and will be implemented by Percassi SpA company.