The rehabilitation project for this historic building proposed an approach that respects its authenticity and architectural value while adapting it to the demands of contemporary living. This intervention is not merely a restoration but a careful reinterpretation of the space, where tradition and innovation harmoniously coexist.
Given the significant interior deterioration, a deep structural reconfiguration was undertaken, preserving the building’s identity while ensuring superior safety, health, and accessibility standards. The transformation of the attic into a mansard floor allowed for a visually balanced integration with the façade composition, improving the unit’s comfort and ventilation.
The project also included the requalification of the rear courtyard, previously occupied by a deactivated industrial structure. This space was converted into an innovative residential complex with a reduced footprint, prioritizing permeable areas and creating a subterranean level for parking. On the ground floor, two exclusive "courtyard houses" were introduced, featuring discreet volumetry and green roofs, reducing the height of the existing construction by approximately 2.5 meters. This solution not only enhances the healthiness and urban integration of the complex but also establishes a new relationship between architecture and landscape, through a continuous green mantle that adds value to the surrounding public space.
Accessibility and spatial fluidity are ensured by maintaining the main entrance at No. 25, serving as a convergence point for both the main building and the "courtyard houses." The reorganization of vertical access allows for a shared atrium connecting the six residential units and providing direct access to the parking area. The installation of an elevator, carefully integrated to minimize its impact on the pre-existing structure, significantly improves accessibility. Meanwhile, the staircase will be reconstructed using original materials, incorporating ergonomic improvements for enhanced safety and comfort.
The internal layout was revised to optimize the functionality of the residences, ensuring a more fluid and balanced living experience. The old, unhealthy air shafts were eliminated, favoring rooms bathed in natural light. The typology distribution follows a strategic logic: T2 apartments on the ground floor, T3 units on the two upper floors, and a T4 duplex on the top floor, taking advantage of the available ceiling height. The bedrooms are oriented to the east, while the social areas open onto the requalified courtyard, fostering a more integrated relationship with the outdoor space.
The "courtyard houses," accessible through the same atrium, are connected to body 2 via a naturally ventilated tunnel, providing a smooth and organic transition between spaces. These residences are designed around landscaped courtyards, enhancing privacy, environmental quality, and soil permeability. Their discreet and context-sensitive integration contributes to urban regeneration, reducing volumetric impact and promoting a new residential experience.
The rehabilitation of the main façade will be carried out with a rigorous commitment to heritage authenticity. All distinctive elements, such as stonework and tile panels, will be carefully restored. The original tiles will be removed, selected, and reapplied, with damaged ones faithfully reproduced by a traditional tile manufacturer to ensure the building’s aesthetic and historical continuity. Dissonant elements, such as roller shutters, will be eliminated in favor of restoring the original interior shutter system. The window frames will be replaced with white PVC profiles with double glazing, replicating the original wooden design while ensuring high thermal and acoustic performance. The original entrance door, a unique piece of great heritage value, will be restored, while the new mansard floor will be discreetly clad in pre-patinated zinc, reinforcing the balanced relationship between tradition and modernity.
The intervention on the rear façade addresses both structural and aesthetic challenges. The advanced deterioration of the balconies makes their replacement inevitable. However, this necessity has been transformed into an opportunity to reinterpret the building’s architectural language, restoring the concept of the "open balcony" and evoking the tradition of iron architecture. The new structure will maintain its original placement, aligning with the neighboring building, ensuring aesthetic coherence, and enhancing the spatial quality of the residences, whose living rooms and kitchens face this elevation, benefiting from the western light and connection to the exterior.
The rear courtyard will undergo a profound environmental and urban regeneration. Currently, its permeable area is limited, compromising the space’s ecological quality. The proposal includes a significant increase in green surfaces through the introduction of organic soil and vegetated slab areas, reinforcing the project’s sustainability and ecological balance. The reduction in volumetry in body 2 has expanded the outdoor spaces, creating private courtyards for the new residences and increasing soil permeability to 55.90 m²—exceeding regulatory requirements.
This project goes beyond mere rehabilitation, proposing a new vision for contemporary urban living. By respecting the building’s history while innovating in its functionality and integration within the city, the intervention stands as an exemplary balance between heritage and modernity, sustainability and comfort, history and future.
