The former Artisans’ Mutual Fund of Brindisi, located between via Nazario Sauro and via Federico II of Swabia, will be renovated and repurposed by ADISU Puglia to become a modern student residence. The project aims to give the city back a currently unused building, turning it into a place for studying, living, and socializing, in a strategic location close to the historic center and about 400 meters from the train station.

The new building will be designed as a true link between the university and the city and will be able to accommodate 50 students in 35 rooms, including 20 singles and 15 doubles. Next to the accommodations, there will be lots of common areas and services: a coworking and study room with Wi-Fi, a recreation room, a game room, a fitness area, a canteen with a kitchen, a reception, and service rooms. There will also be rooms accessible to people with disabilities.

One of the most distinctive features of the project will be transforming the inner courtyard into a new garden square, designed as a place for meeting, relaxing, and sharing for the student community. The space will be enhanced with greenery, seating, and permeable, draining surfaces, along with a system for collecting and reusing rainwater.

Great attention will also be given to accessibility. The project includes new vertical connections with steel structures, elevators, ramps, and a lift platform, making the different levels of the building usable and improving the relationship between the residence and the surrounding urban spaces.

The project also includes a thorough energy and structural upgrade. It involves insulating the building envelope, installing new high-performance windows, and putting in efficient systems for heating, cooling, and hot water, as well as photovoltaic and solar thermal systems. The goal is to reach energy class A3. At the same time, strengthening and seismic improvement work will be carried out on beams, columns, structural joints, and floors.

The economic framework of the final project provides for a total investment of about 8.53 million euros, with funds from the Ministry of University and Research, the Apulia Region, and ADISU Puglia. The restoration of the former Cassa Mutua Artigiani is therefore an urban regeneration project and an enhancement of university services, capable of giving the city back a building that is currently abandoned and turning it into a new space to live, study, and build community.