As in many other cities, Seville has experienced a boom in the construction of student residences in recent years. This trend has been driven by an increasing demand for quality accommodation and comprehensive services for university students.The building occupies the site of the former Juan Sebastián Elcano school, which was built by the state for the workers of the Elcano Shipyards and served the surrounding neighborhood of the same name until 1998.
The only access to the building is through the east façade, facing Plaza de la Marina Española, a widened section of Fragata Street.
The volume of the old school consisted of a single-story building facing the square, while the rest of the plot was open space.
A large program of 242 rooms had to be accommodated on a very small plot. The new building, with an area of 9,500 m², almost completely fills the site and is organized mainly in double-bay volumes parallel to the façade aligned with the street and the side boundaries, from which a 4-meter setback is maintained. These bays surround a central courtyard—the heart of the residence. The attic floor is recessed in relation to the lower floors, except on the façades facing the courtyard. This area is characterized by low-rise single-family homes, typically two or three stories high. The impact of this new construction was minimized through the volumetric design, particularly the attic and side boundary setbacks.
The design focuses the life of the residence around the courtyard, which is lowered to the basement level (-1). This allows rooms to exist on all levels, including the ground floor, without the privacy issues that could arise if the courtyard were at street level. Uses such as the show kitchen, gaming room, laundry, gym, study room, and coworking area are directly connected to the courtyard. The transition between the ground floor and this level is resolved with a stepped seating area that supports outdoor activities in the courtyard, further enhancing it as a key social space.
The building accommodates a broad functional program with public, semi-public, and private spaces tied to its main uses: dining, studying, resting & living.
The project proposes a spatial sequence from the public exterior space to the private interior courtyard that structures the entire design: square, main lobby, and landscaped courtyard.
The central courtyard begins at the basement level, providing abundant natural light and ventilation to the spaces on this floor. This level also includes a parking area with 50 spaces.