Architecture at the service of student creativity

By Editorial Staff - 15 April 2024
Bertolotto Porte, FAAC, Coiver have participated in the project

A new idea of a student residence, a creative hub capable of intertwining privacy and sharing needs in one place, as well as the beating heart of a larger redevelopment and reconnection project between the local community and the students of the oldest university in the Western world, Alma Mater Studiorum. Thus was born Laude Living Bologna, student housing just a short distance from the historical center and surrounded by public green areas. Designed by Open Project starting with a concept developed together with tp bennett, the residence features 16 floors above ground in addition to a basement and has opened its doors to over 500 students. What makes its configuration unique for a residence of this type is the presence of actual mini apartments. These overlook the historical center and the hills thanks to their large windows and are equipped with private facilities – from the bedrooms to the kitchen to the individual bathrooms – plus common spaces, where privacy, sociality, study, tranquility, sports, and recreation coexist and enhance each other. In the words of Open Project’s partners Maurizio Piolanti and Francesco Conserva, it is a place where one can carve out an individual and creative space and find the freedom to express oneself.

Laude Living Bologna | © Ingrid Taro, courtesy Open Project Il progetto di interior design si identifica per l’esplosione dei colori pop, con tinte brillanti alle pareti che vengono riprese anche dagli arredi custom. Il giallo e il blu, in particolare, sono stati scelti per favorire la creatività di una comunità di studenti multietnica.

The project involved the redevelopment of an existing area and the creation of new structures: in addition to the main building, recognizable for its rhythm created by alternating dark and light colors, there is a lower construction which rises to the third floor and gives life to a central courtyard devoted to communal activities and arranged to incentivize movement. There are many other areas for gathering, including the basement, ground floor, and top floor, featuring a lounge, study room, bar-cafeteria, and a dedicated mailroom, where packages and correspondence can be delivered. Lastly, on the top of the building there are communal kitchens, a yoga room, a library, and a silent room, while the basement floor features a cinema and a gym.

Laude Living Bologna | © Ingrid Taro, courtesy Open Project Per omaggiare la storia del luogo, un ex sito ferroviario, si è scelto uno stile industriale, con ampio impiego di elementi in metallo e impianti a vista.

The liveliness of the interiors, created by an explosion of bright colors on the walls and in the custom furnishings, contrasts the graphic style and neutral colors that characterize the exterior of Laude Living Bologna. The wallpapers, similarly in vibrant hues, were realized with a custom design by tp bennett with a graffiti effect: the result is varying bright interiors with strong personalities, united by the plays of color. Beyond the colors, the interior design emphasizes the building’s past as a railroad car manufacturing plant: an industrial style with an extensive use of metal elements and exposed systems pay homage to this history.

Laude Living Bologna | © Ingrid Taro, courtesy Open Project Oltre alle tinte brillanti, a caratterizzare il progetto di interni anche le note accese delle carte da parati custom realizzate su disegno, con effetto graffiti. In questo modo, ambienti diversi sono legati da uno stile comune.

The study and choice of furnishings respond to the specific needs of enhancing the environments: on the one hand, the optimization of the spaces within the apartments, rendering each one functional and comfortable; on the other, the achievement of a non-bare effect in the large common spaces. “The student residence is a fertile environment for brilliant ideas”, Open Project concluded. “At the same time, it is a point of aggregation for the neighborhood, an opportunity to center the local community and reconnect it with the university district and the many stimuli it generates, and a place that acts as inspiration for the international student reality that lives in and passes through Bologna”.

Laude Living Bologna | © Giacomo Albo, courtesy of Open Project | Schüco Italia supplied different aluminum systems for the doors, windows, and façades of Laude Living Bologna. It also installed VentoFrame Asonic, a window-integrated ventilation system with high acoustic insulation. It is specially designed for life and work environments that require both silence and proper ventilation.

Laude Living Bologna | © Ingrid Taro, courtesy of Open Project | The 15th floor of the tower that houses the student residence Laude Living Bologna hosts various common areas, including a lounge designed to promote moments of gathering among residents.

Laude Living Bologna | © Ingrid Taro, courtesy of Open Project | The basement floor was used to house numerous shared facilities: in addition to the fully equipped gym, there is also a cinema room, a study corner, and a recreation area with table soccer and pool tables.

Laude Living Bologna | © Ingrid Taro, courtesy of Open Project | The furnishings were custom-made both for the common and private spaces and successfully adapt both to the small size of the apartments and very large common areas, like the shared kitchen on the last floor.

The beauty and minimalist functionality of aluminum | © Ingrid Taro, courtesy of Open Project | In order to divide the spaces in an elegant and functional way, customizable, movable partitions from Ice by Ferlegno (a Coiver Group Company) were installed. These glazed, single-pane systems have a minimal aluminum structure and guarantee brightness in the rooms and continuity between spaces at the same time. | www.coiver.it

Laude Living Bologna | © Ingrid Taro, courtesy of Open Project | The interior design is distinctive for the explosion of colors, with bright hues on the walls that are echoed in the custom furnishings. Yellow and blue in particular were chosen to promote the creativity of a diverse student community.

Laude Living Bologna | © Ingrid Taro, courtesy of Open Project | The industrial style, characterized by the extensive use of metal elements and exposed fixtures, pays homage to the history of the place, a former railroad site.

Laude Living Bologna | © Ingrid Taro, courtesy of Open Project

Laude Living Bologna | © Ingrid Taro, courtesy of Open Project | On the last floor of the building, there is a spacious shared library featuring seating and reading spaces. This is complemented by quiet, enclosed areas as well as a large reading room.

Between security and acoustic comfort | © Ingrid Taro, courtesy of Open Project | Bertolotto Porte, the company specializing in the design and production of doors and interior systems, supplied the project with about 1,000 doors, specifically in the Bisuper 60 Acu Plus, Trame 200T hinged and CL sliding pocket models. The first of these provides excellent acoustic comfort for the environments: the noise reduction is certified and equal to 44dB. | www.bertolotto.com

Laude Living Bologna | © Ingrid Taro, courtesy of Open Project | Beyond the bright colors, the interior design is also characterized by the vibrant notes of the specially designed and custom-made wallpaper, with a graffiti effect. Different spaces are united by a common style through these features.

Location: Bologna, Italia
Client: Stonehill International
Completion: 2022
Gross Floor Area: 20,000 m²
Architect and Interior Designer, Project Coordinator, Construction Project Manager: Open Project Concept: tp bennett
Main Contractor: CMB
Project Management Consultant: Drees & Sommer Italia

Unless otherwise indicated, photography: Ingrid Taro, courtesy of Open Project

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