Wellness, Education & Structured Projects

Genova Student Housing

Location

Genoa, Italy (north-east area, near the Biomedical Teaching Hub)

Year

2025 – ongoing (construction underway; scheduled opening September 2027)

Client

Private fund Fondo Pitagora (with participation of Finint and CDP)

Typology

Refurbishment · Regeneration (with the addition of one storey)

Status

Ongoing · Construction supervision (site under way)

The former INAM building in Genoa is an iconic 1950s building - nine storeys above ground and two below - in the north-east of the city, a short walk from the Biomedical Teaching Hub. The project transforms it into student housing with 312 beds, adding one storey and a new internal staircase: single, double and quadruple rooms, accompanied by shared spaces designed for social life - lobby, study room, communal kitchens, gym, relaxation area and laundries. A change of use that does not distort the architectural language of the façades, while severely compromised structures are strengthened and the building services are completely renewed, improving the building's energy efficiency including on the envelope. The client is a private fund, Fondo Pitagora, with the participation of Finint and CDP. Construction is under way, with opening scheduled for September 2027.
Project Elevation

The Project

Overview

The project concerns the renovation and requalification of a Genoese building - the former INAM - in the north-east area of the city, near the Biomedical Teaching Hub. The intervention transforms a 1950s building, of nine floors above ground and two below, originally intended for offices and clinics, into a student residence of 312 beds, with the addition of one storey and the construction of a new internal staircase. The building will house 172 rooms (single, double and quadruple), reception and offices, lobby, study room, shared kitchens, gym, relaxation area, shared laundries and ancillary rooms. The client is a private fund - the Pitagora Fund - with the participation of Finint and CDP.

The Challenge

Three challenges at once: recovering a building iconic for the city with a change of use - from former INAM to student residence - without distorting the architectural language of the façades; consolidating seriously compromised structures; completely redoing the building services, increasing the building's energy efficiency, including on the envelope front. But the real challenge is the coordination of the works on site, in order to meet the residence's opening scheduled for September 2027.

Pre-Development & Governance

The preliminary phase was, from the very start, a due diligence, to verify the design and economic feasibility of a project already begun by a previous owner. This was followed by: a campaign of tests to understand the state of the structures and verify the planned consolidations, and the revision of the previously authorized architectural layout, in order to incorporate the reinforced structures while reorganizing and optimizing the spaces.

Systems & Technical Coordination

For a regeneration intervention of this nature, we carried out meticulous work to identify the most suitable professionals for the design of structures and systems, with proven experience in similar projects, without neglecting the themes of acoustics, energy saving and fire prevention. The process chose to accept the existing project, so as not to incur further authorization requests that would have lengthened the construction timescales.

Process Management

The process is ongoing and involves various professionals, including Eng. Dario Luetto for structures, acoustics and fire prevention and Coesa engineering srl for the systems. Coordination takes place through weekly meetings scheduled also with the ownership and with the future manager of the student residence, in order to find shared solutions. For each design phase addressed - final and detailed - the deliverables of each discipline are subject to coordination and control before official issue. The worksite, begun a few months ago, is proceeding at an intense pace - with at least one weekly meeting on site - in order to complete the works by early August and allow the opening in September 2027.

Value Added

For the client: a real-estate operation on the theme of student housing in a city with congested spaces but with a strong need for affordable student accommodation. For the territory: new residences for students in an area currently undervalued, which will see a social and economic revival thanks to the activity the building will create. For the end users: a new residential structure, with comfortable, modern accommodation and common spaces designed for socialization. For us: the possibility of addressing the residential theme in a form aimed at a young, transient generation, tackling complex structural issues and the management of a worksite reduced to the smallest of spaces, in a city like Genoa where space is scarce and very limited.