SHN. Student Housing Novoli

SHN. Student Housing Novoli

C + S Architects as Architects

The student housing in the former Fiat area in Novoli, Florence, was designed to adapt to the constraints of the brief - the perimeter of the lot, the fixed alignment, the building height - and to use them as a spring­board for original compositional and typological solutions that have produced an articulated, light-filled interior landscape inside severe walls.


Despite the double-courtyard layout, the building is far from inward-looking and imposes order on the wider context: the pas­sageway that cuts crosswise through it is seen as a "city gate", a way through the block and a focus for communal activities, as well as access to the students' lodgings. The twin themes of "urban silence" and "constructed mass”, borrowed from historical city's fabric but updated to reflect today's different formal and plastic awareness, are evident on the solid though not im­penetrable exterior facades.


The continuous reinforced concrete base, grey wood shingles and glass-brick fascia are - of course - silent, evenly-coloured, unbroken surfaces but they are al­so loaded with positive vibes and nuancing ready to be transmitted to the interior. It is here that the building reveals the extent to which the elementary mass visible from the street is in fact a complex structure whose layout, planimetric variations and deviations of section gener­ate a lean-looking though atmospheric interior of raw concrete streaked by form work and in some places deeply gouged. Understanding the building's functional layout - shops, entrance and refectory on the ground floor; study rooms and services on the upper levels facing the principal street and lodgings (for 250 students) in the other three blocks - explains the layout of the ex­ternal facades, and indicates how the kinds of materials used are related to the amount of light that reaches the interior. The students' bedrooms (two types) are the outcome of painstaking typological research - the carefully calculated interlocking of reduced surfaces looks like a modern-day shot at existenzminimum - and successfully reconcile external balcony access with dual exposure towards the street, behind the shingle screen, and the internal courtyards with their coloured walls and quiet gardens.


The halls of residence are typologically hybrid, with balcony access and dual exposure. The standard lodging comprises an entrance hall with a large window opening onto the access balcony, two bedrooms (18 sqm) and two bathrooms; a third bedroom (12 sqm), also with a bathroom, is situated towards the balcony and 80 cm higher to prevent passers-by from looking in. A second standard lodging has a communal area facing the balcony and at the same height, instead of the third bedroom.

Products Behind Projects
Product Spotlight
News
PLATO Gallery of Contemporary Art: Architecture finalist in Mies van der Rohe Awards 2024
29 Mar 2024 News
PLATO Gallery of Contemporary Art: Architecture finalist in Mies van der Rohe Awards 2024

In this Archello series, we look at each of the seven nominated projects (five architecture finalist... More

Detail: sliding panels of natural pine protect a residential complex from the Mallorcan sun
29 Mar 2024 Detail
Detail: sliding panels of natural pine protect a residential complex from the Mallorcan sun

Spanish architecture firm OHLAB has recently completed Paseo de Mallorca 15, a residential complex o... More

Snøhetta designs new extension for the world’s oldest ski museum in Oslo
28 Mar 2024 News
Snøhetta designs new extension for the world’s oldest ski museum in Oslo

Global transdisciplinary architecture and design practice Snøhetta has designed a new entranc... More

10 public buildings that demonstrate architectural applications of precast concrete
27 Mar 2024 Specification
10 public buildings that demonstrate architectural applications of precast concrete

Precast concrete is made by casting concrete in a reusable mold. These molds are made of various mat... More

Sameep Padora and Associates creates a flowing, organic art center in southern India
26 Mar 2024 News
Sameep Padora & Associates creates a flowing, organic art center in southern India

Mumbai-based Sameep Padora & Associates (sP+a) has completed Hampi Art Labs in Toranagallu, a vi... More

Introducing Partner Thermory AS
26 Mar 2024 Partner News
Introducing Partner Thermory AS

Thermory AS offers a diverse product range that includes durable exterior cladding, decking, interio... More

Brooklyn Tower by ShOP Architects showcases a unique materiality
25 Mar 2024 News
Brooklyn Tower by ShOP Architects showcases a unique materiality

Brooklyn Tower, standing an impressive ninety-three stories tall with a unique neo-deco crown, is al... More

Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright join Archello Awards 2024 jury
25 Mar 2024 Archello Awards
Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright join Archello Awards 2024 jury

Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright have been announced as Archello Awards 202... More