Camplus Firenze

A residence for both university and tourist use

Camplus Florence are university halls of residence as well as tourist accommodation located in Via del Romito, in Florence, close to the historic city center and to Santa Maria Novella train station. The building dates back to the mid-20th Century and was entirely refurbished in accordance with a project by Studio Gad in Bologna. The main building stretches across seven floors, one of which underground, spanning an overall surface area of six thousand square meters.

The work on the exterior cladding led to the construction of a ventilated facade using Laminam large slabs in Diamond Cream (I Naturali collection), laid alternately between the vertical square windows to achieve a dynamic and multi-dimensional effect.

Location Firenze, Italy
Year 2021
Architect Studio Gad
Applications Cladding & Flooring, External Facades, Flooring
Project Type University

Versatile and elegant

Versatile and elegant, Diamond Cream stands out with its complex and precious texture. The facade features the Bush-hammered finish (800×3240 mm size, Laminam 5 thickness) with bioactive treatments that interact with the environment to reduce the bacterial load, pollutants and impurities.

In the lower part of the building, a mixture of conservation and redevelopment was chosen: the original facade on Via del Romito was in fact kept with its original cladding in Pietraforte sandstone, a stone typically used in Florentine construction, while the other three feature alternating elements in sheet metal and large glass walls that generate visual continuity between the outside and the inside.

Flexibility of the spaces and energy efficiency

The distinguishing features of the project are the flexibility of the spaces and their energy efficiency. The majority of premises intended for guests is located on the ground floor, with a corridor overlooked by the reception, the administrative offices, the lifts and the stairs, followed by an indoor square crossed by a gallery which then leads up to the study rooms, which vary in size thanks to the use of mobile partitions with superior acoustic performance levels. For the corridor cladding, the choice fell on Laminam slabs from the Fokos collection in Piombo color, 1000×3000 mm size and Laminam 3+ thickness. Fokos replicates the strength and tactile appeal of primordial elements such as rock, lead, earth and salt. Its quality and resistance to chemical and mechanical stresses make it the ideal material for communal areas, subject to regular foot traffic and community use. Piombo is the darkest variant in the collection and is devised to create welcoming locations as well as prestigious outdoor spaces.

Laminam has also been used to clad the bathroom surfaces, another communal space requiring surfaces with superior hygienic safety. Here, the I Naturali collection has been selected in the Pietra di Savoia Antracite finish, in the 250×750 mm size and thickness versions Laminam 5 (flooring) and 3+ (cladding). Pietra di Savoia Antracite is a veritable architectonic skin devised to clad indoor and outdoor settings with outstanding performance. The bush-hammered finish makes this slab particularly suitable for settings exposed to water and the risk of slipping.