Studium 2030: La città degli studenti / Studium 2030: The city of students. Call for projects

On October 3 and 4, 2024, the final seminar of the call for projects, “Studium 2030: The City of Students”, promoted by ProArch and the University of Perugia (scientific committee: Andrea Sciascia, Paolo Belardi, Eliana Martinelli, and Giovanna Ramaccini), took place in the Aula Magna of the University of Perugia. On the same days, the projects’ exhibition opened at Palazzo Murena, the university’s headquarters. The call was launched on February 27, 2024, and a first, well-attended preliminary initiative took place on May 23 and 24. During those days, the presentation seminar—featuring professors from various disciplines who offered different interpretations of the area from architectural, archaeological, political, and sociological perspectives—and the project site inspection were held. 53 design teams from 29 Italian and international university departments applied to the call, envisioning a new student city in the Conca university area of Perugia. The complex settlement of the Conca area has led to a succession of stratification, demolition, and reconstruction projects over the centuries, unique in Perugia’s urban history and of significant interest to those who deal with architectural and urban design. In this sense, the Conca can be interpreted as an urban laboratory. The projects included a downstream square and a new building on the site of the current cafeteria, with the addition of student and faculty services. Furthermore, the pedestrian connections between the two overlooking hills, where other university buildings are located (the Rectorate to the north, Palazzo Florenzi to the south), were redesigned. During the final days, the presentations were divided into three sessions based on the design themes that emerged: “Urban Figures”, “Soil Architectures”, and “Landscapes of Connections”. Each session was introduced by critical readings by invited professors. The call’s success has provided the University of Perugia, where a small number of architectural design professors are affiliated, with a powerful tool for discussion and openness to stimulating visions, of great interest to the city and the involved authorities (in addition to the university, the municipality of Perugia, and ADISU). The proceedings, edited by E. Martinelli, G. Ramaccini, M. Battistoni, and C. Sorignani, were published in May 2025.