Student housing and collective spaces within a historic urban fabric

Authors’ Comment

The theme of the project stems from a personal interest in how contemporary architecture can intervene in historic contexts without altering their identity. I consider heritage not as a static element preserved solely through protection, but as a resource capable of generating new forms of use and habitation, adapted to the current needs of the city. In this sense, architectural intervention becomes a process of interpretation, in which the memory of the place and the demands of the present are brought into a balanced dialogue.
The choice of student housing reflects an interest in collective living typologies that encourage interaction and the formation of community. Beyond providing basic living spaces, the project aims to create a flexible framework in which shared spaces play a key role in the everyday experience of users. Thus, architecture is understood not only as a physical support for functions, but as an instrument capable of influencing the way people use and perceive space.
The conceptual approach is built around the relationship between the existing fabric and the new intervention. The project seeks to establish a balance between continuity and contemporary expression. Design decisions are grounded in an understanding of the site’s character, its cultural values, and the ways in which these can be reinterpreted through a contemporary architectural language.
The project supports the idea that interventions on heritage can go beyond the logic of passive conservation and instead become instruments of urban and social regeneration. The adaptive reuse of the existing built fabric, complemented by a contemporary architecture rooted in context, can contribute to strengthening the identity of the place and integrating programs relevant to the contemporary city. From this perspective, heritage is understood as an active resource, capable of generating new relationships between space, community, and urban life, without losing its cultural value and memory.