Pocket Campus Bernini

Pocket Campus Bernini aims to transform an underutilised courtyard creating a high-quality, protected space; a long, green haven that stands by a rediscovered stone square in open dialogue with the historic palace; a smart, eclectic space, set apart by a wooden divider, that offers a variety of opportunities for employees and guests to live, work and play in the open air.

In AG&P greenscape’s vision, from the winning bid proposal until the end of the construction phase, the Pocket Campus begins from the new entrance to the building, where a large infinity fountain – on which the Foundation logo is engraved, evokes the design of the main building. Being levelled with the ground, the water feature can be interrupted as needed to free up the central area for meetings and events.

Having left the service functions to the two sides, the plan of the Pocket Campus starts from the square, where it begins to move to the rhythm of the surrounding space, drawing a new border enclosed by a wooden fence. The fence, following a winding outline, transforms along the perimeter to create spaces with specific functions: from relaxing stepping seats, table football, pétanque and table tennis, to wider indentations which become open-air meeting rooms offering privacy under the thick foliage or a generous pergola.

The richness of functions is facilitated by the choice of external furniture. Being flexible and modular, this can easily adapt to lunches with colleagues, big meetings and a variety of collective events. The colour yellow was selected for the custom furniture, including movable stools and elements that make up other portable and fixed equipment. This choice brings a component of surprise but also ensures the user’s gaze focuses on the garden and area of intervention in the lower section of the site.

Natural materials such as wood, gravel and stone were selected, with a particular focus on durability and maintainability.

32 new trees of different sizes were added to the existing plants; these contribute to the addition of shaded areas, which are necessary for the warmer months, while giving protection and intimacy from the surrounding buildings. The new greenery introduced under the foliage includes a mixed hedge, various hydrangeas and a collection of viburnums. Vertical grasses play with the elements of the fence, while the yellow of the furniture is evoked from seasonal blossoming (Narcissus, Achillea, Rudbeckia).

As the evening falls, lights frame the setting of the new park. Spectacular lighting is reserved to major and strategic places, while functional lights are used for standard areas, mainly consisting of rest and work spaces, as well as those for potential evening events.

Parking slots for cars have been placed at the edges of the intervention, while bike parking, new towers for charging electric vehicles and Compagnia di San Paolo branded bike sharing stations have been included in the scheme in an effort to encourage sustainable mobility. To add to these incentives, a small bicycle service station has also been added.

The final project is characterised by a complete correspondence with the original concept and fully bespoke details created following various mock-ups – including all parts of the wooden fence, its bolts, the hidden and curved gates and a camouflaged crash bar. The infinity stone fountain’s ashlars are made with numerical control, while the curved bench is composed of slats with hidden screws.

The focus on each detail frames the broader vision sought from the beginning of the project: a functional and strongly defined garden-campus, based on the model and standards of European landscape architecture, with a nod to Green Welfare, which guides AG&P greenscape in all their projects.