The “I Gelsi” day care home for senior citizens in Mirandola, commissioned by the Public Service Agencies of the municipalities of Northern Modena following the 2012 earthquake, is an active tool used to implement welfare policies.

The structure is composed of a prefabricated timber structure standing in a densely wooded area. “I Gelsi” is part of a broader system of public and private open spaces that combine to mediate the relationships between the consolidated centre and the low density residential fabric that characterises almost all urban overspill outside the city centre.

Composition of the prefabricated timber day care home

The structural system is composed of multi-layer timber walls with load-bearing function (Xlam), and floors made with prefabricated timber modules: this construction formula made it possible to achieve a high level of integration between the building and its technological systems during the design stage, and also enabled extremely rapid construction of just 180 days from start to finish.