EX CAPPUCCINI CONVENT IN PARMA

The work involves the recovery of the historic building and its conversion into a student residence. Located in the historic center of the city, on the west bank of the Parma stream, the building is perfectly integrated into the “university system”. The proximity to the main urban and extra-urban mobility structures, the main universities and the various recreational and leisure activities in the area make the area of ​​the former convent of S. Caterina a strategic point for the construction of a new student residence . The past intended use and the municipal restrictions on scientific restoration, imposed the maintenance of a triple body system with a central corridor that immediately led to a “hotel” conformation with single and double rooms, all equipped with en-suite bathroom, and shared spaces for preparing and consuming meals. The total number of accommodation places is 61, with 7 single rooms and 27 double rooms. The project first of all mended the distribution of flows on the ground floor without altering the existing vertical connection systems (ie the historic staircase on the north side and the stairs and lift on the east side); the reconstruction of the portico on the ground floor on the east side (which disappeared after the works in the 1960s) was the driving force as it closed the circulation around the internal courtyard, remedied the differences in altitude that created architectural barriers that were difficult to overcome and freed the columns of the existing arcades that had been incorporated into the window systems applied over time; at the same time, the space has been enhanced by evolving from a purely distributive space to a collective parking and sharing space strictly interconnected with all the spaces that overlook it, from the study rooms, to the meeting rooms, to the multifunctional conference room up to the courtyard itself , which becomes an outdoor space for rest and relaxation for guests. The external appurtenant garden on the north side will also have as its vocation the coexistence of external and internal users; open towards the city both towards Vicolo Santa Caterina and the privileged view of the raised space towards the Parma stream, it will be, together with the multifunctional conference room, an attractive pole for internal collective events and for exhibitions and public events.