Modena, the former Sant'Eufemia barracks becomes a student residence

The university student residence resulting from the redevelopment of the former Carabinieri barracks in Sant'Eufemia in Modena is ready. The complex, consisting of 18 housing units, was the winner of the Pnrr call for proposals promoted by the Ministry of University and Research and can host up to 55 university students, researchers and doctoral students from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.

The restoration of the Sant'Eufemia Barracks is the result of an operation - for a total investment of over eight million euro on 3500 square metres - that has seen the involvement of the Fondazione di Modena, the Municipality of Modena and Investire SGR (Banca Finnat Group), manager of the Emilia Romagna social housing Fund, in which, among others, the Fondo investimenti per l'abitare, managed by Cdp Real Asset sgr, has a stake. The Modena Foundation's commitment - in addition to its economic role as an investor in the Emilia Romagna Fund - is to lease from the Fund itself, which owns the building, the south and west wings of the ground floor of the courtyard of the Sant'Eufemia complex, to be used for supplementary housing services. The facility will provide 30% of the beds to Ergo (the regional company for the right to higher education) and 70% of the beds at subsidised prices.

Operational since 2012, with an endowment of around 70 million euro, the Emilia Romagna social housing fund is the main vehicle supporting social housing in the region. The agreement signed between the Fund and the Municipality of Modena, preparatory to the urban-planning and building implementation of the project, also regulates the lowered rental rates: the housing units - spread over three floors - are fully furnished and ready for use, equipped with a living area with kitchen, toilets, single and/or double rooms, and the maximum monthly fee for each bed is 550 euro per month for a single room and 330 euro for a bed in a double room. Subject to constraint by the Superintendence, the restoration of the buildings involved the consolidation of the existing floors and the construction of new portions of floors, the structural renovation of the vertical structures and the roof, the complete renovation of the lodgings (floors, fixtures, plaster, systems), the installation of two lifts, the construction of new plumbing, electrical, video intercom, satellite TV, summer air conditioning, and central heating with radiators in the lodgings and fan coils in the study rooms. The building's renovation project was overseen by Tasca Studio Architetti Associati, while work was entrusted to the company AeC Costruzioni, conducted in line with the environmental and social responsibility criteria promoted by Investire Sgr. Student management is entrusted to Camplus.

The 11th-century building was part of the former Benedictine Monastery complex, founded by Bishop Eribert. Like many others in the city, the monastery was suppressed in 1798 by order of the Napoleonic government and its premises were used as a prison and for military purposes in 1830. At the behest of Francis IV, the building was renovated to a design by Santo Cavani and converted into the 'Caserma dei Dragoni Estensi'. It was later used for a variety of purposes, including a men's and women's prison and Carabinieri barracks until 2006, when the building was completely decommissioned.