The Humanitas University of Milan project comes to a conclusion with the student residences designed by architect Filippo Taidelli of FTA studio based in Milan, Italy. Research, education, and hospitality combined with sustainability become a model of excellence in education.
Pieve Emanuele (MI) –The opening of the Mario Luzzatto Student House residences completes the Humanitas University Campus, the renowned international school of Medicine and Surgery, Nursing and Physiotherapy that promotes an innovative teaching system. The new residences, built in just one year, were designed by FTA studio’s architect Filippo Taidelli, who is also responsible for the design of the Humanitas University campus that was inaugurated in 2017. FTA studio managed all aspects of architectural, interior and landscape design, creating a location where energy saving and environmental sustainability rule.
The Architectural Project
The student residence buildings are located southeast of the main square of the Humanitas University campus. In line with master plan directives, to make the most of the occupation of space without building too high, the structure was split into two compact staggered volumes: two 5-storey towers are connected by a lower central body that houses the main access. The lower height and transparencies of the central volume ensure visual permeability through the building towards the park and the surrounding fields. It consists of the first floor study room and an open-air extension of the communal kitchen while its roof accommodates a large green terrace.
The ground floor is dedicated to public and communal functions (bar, restaurant, fitness room, games room) with the signature French windows overlooking the park, while the upper floors house the private student lodgings consisting of 62 apartments and 23 rooms. A variety of arrangements – double and single rooms as well as mini-apartments – offer a total of 240 beds for international students, researchers and visiting professors. Outside by the entrance, the offsetting of the two buildings gives life to a large square, animated by the tables of the bar and other public activities that spill on to it.
Facilities
The student residence is part of a broader university project, which adds hospitality and training and study support services to the educational model based on the integration of teaching, research and clinical studies. The aim is to offer students a comprehensively integrated reception, multiplying the opportunities for engagement and amalgamation between different fields of knowledge and giving all-round support not only to training, but to the entire educational experience, promoting integration and exchanges between young people of different cultures. The residences offer students, of which 44 percent are foreign students, numerous communal areas: laboratories, study room, gym, library, TV room, cafeteria, laundry, parking, Amazon locker, terrace and an outdoor futsal pitch. Additionally, student support services include orientation and tutoring sessions, cultural and recreational initiatives, an internal career counseling service, study support, and language courses.
The Facades
In the same tones as the stoneware of the other campus buildings, the facade of the student residence consists of rustic plaster studded with deep asymmetrical windows of the rooms. The doors and double glazed windows of the apartments are aluminium with a brass-like oxidized finish, as are those on the ground floor. The metal blinds and room windows are irridescent and reflective, and the effect is to accentuate the dynamism of the façade when hit by direct light.
The front of the buildings is softened in the ground floor public areas by the interspersing of large glass openings and opaque backgrounds with a light marmorino finish. The rear of the buildings consists of “service/back of the house” volumes underlined by a casing of metal panels of varying sizes. In addition to focusing on the buildings’ energy consumption aspects, particular attention has been paid to the ease of maintenance of both the external façades and the furnishings, ensuring maximum comfort for users and staff.
Sustainability
The residences are classified – like the Campus – as green buildings, having obtained an A3 energy certification. Spaces have been designed to the most modern standards in terms of technology and environmental comfort, with the use of renewable energy sources (both roofs of the buildings accommodate highly efficient photovoltaic panels) and controlled mechanical ventilation systems.
Active systems such as groundwater heat pumps, low-temperature radiant panel heating and the installation of photovoltaic panels on the roof have made it possible to achieve CENED A3* class, while the orientation and form of the buildings make a decisive contribution to reducing heat loss in winter and, at the same time, increase the amount of solar energy in summer. *(An A3 class is the highest rating of CENED, an energy performance certification system for the region of Lombardy, Italy.)
The Green Campus
The student residences are part of the University’s context and are connected with the other structures by way of a connective tissue of local green systems. Respecting the pre-existing conditions and leaving the nearby South Park clearly visible, the green areas are conceived as an integral part of the architectural project. Poplar trees, ploughed fields, and spontaneous greenery contribute to offering students and teachers a pleasant environment in which to study, relax and socialize.
Established in 2005 by Filippo Taidelli, FTA is a multidisciplinary architectural and design firm based in Milan, Italy. Operating both in Italy and abroad, FTA develops integrated design projects in collaboration with a team of carefully selected network of specialists. FTA has realized renovation and ground-up projects of various scale, spanning residential and commercial to office, service and mixed-use spaces, exhibition and industrial design. FTA’s activity is focused on research and innovative intervention in the urban retrofits of existing buildings and energy-requalification as well as in the healthcare area.
Be the first to comment