A former cotton factory is transformed into a mixed-use boarding school as part of the redevelopment of the Brambilla school complex, accommodating student dormitories, learning facilities and communal spaces.
The original façade is retained, while a new steel structure supports dormitory rooms suspended from overhead trusses, freeing the ground floor for open, column-free communal areas. Lightly anchored to the existing building through tension cables, the structure preserves the rhythm of the historic façade while allowing rooms to be reconfigured, combined or removed as needs evolve.
A central atrium echoes that of the main academic building, with a metal-clad staircase cutting through the factory façade to connect the two. The intervention also integrates surrounding courtyards and a new public piazza, bringing together previously disconnected parts of the campus into a cohesive whole.