A new lease of life for the former Ferrotel in Florence

Florence is one of Italy’s most important university cities, rivalling nearby Pisa and Siena. Home to one of the country’s oldest universities, founded in 1321, it attracts tens of thousands of Italian and international students each year. Whether they stay for five years or just a single term, these students are a valuable asset and make a significant contribution to the Tuscan capital’s economy. Their demand for accommodation has made Florence an important market for student housing providers and is driving the development of housing solutions based on an increasingly open and dynamic hospitality model.

The Italian company Camplus has established itself as a leading national player in the sector, swiftly expanding its presence and serving students in major Italian cities. Camplus arrived in Florence in 2021 with a project led by Bologna-based practice Studio GAD to redevelop the ex Ferrotel building, a former hotel for railway employees on Via del Romito near Santa Maria Novella station. The project adopts a Florentine version of an increasingly popular hybrid hospitality model that caters to both students and tourists. As part of a philosophy of regenerating the built environment, Camplus has refurbished and modernised the building, improved its efficiency and reinforced its structure.

According to the architects, “The new complex has preserved the structure and footprint of the original building, incorporating additions and reductions in volume that reflect its historical connections with the railway theme and its relationship with the nearby station.” The redevelopment of the simple, isolated and compact structure involved introducing key elements that determine the success of this new hospitality model. Spanning 6,000 square metres, the building houses 213 beds in 114 rooms, with its six above-ground floors divided into two architecturally distinct sections. The basement features a communal laundry, staff changing rooms, storage spaces and technical and service areas. The ground floor facing onto Via del Romito retains its original façade with traditional pietraforte stone blocks and travertine-framed openings and accommodates the communal spaces, the reception, the kitchen and canteen, the administration area and flexible study rooms. At the entrance, a sculpture by Adelfo Galli pays homage to Dante’s Divine Comedy, while a new glass gallery allows ample overhead light to flood in.

The residential spaces – single or double rooms with private or shared bathrooms – are located on the upper floors, which help to create a renewed urban identity thanks to the use of Laminam ceramic surfaces. A new ventilated façade improves energy efficiency, using large-format slabs from the I Naturali series (Diamond Cream colour, Bush-hammered finish) with a special bioactive treatment to enhance bacteria resistance. This façade system “redefines the building’s openings according to a modular matrix with a rationalist influence”, while also eliminating thermal bridges. Inside, the bathrooms feature surfaces from the same I Naturali series in the Pietra di Savoia Antracite finish (250×750 mm, with a thickness of 5 mm for the floor and 3+ mm for the wall), while panels from the Fokos collection in a dark lead colour (1000×3000 mm, 3 mm thickness) are used in the corridors.