The Fourth Hub of Unimore
Pavilion 15C of the Reggiane industrial complex is part of a major urban regeneration project that began in the early 2010s, aimed at establishing an innovation hub to support research and business. Thus, the “Reggiane” Innovation Park was developed on the site historically occupied by the Mechanical Workshops since 1904, a significant strategic territorial governance initiative by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia and STU Reggiane. Within this large complex, already hosting companies and startups and still undergoing renovation, Pavilion 15C was designated for the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Unimore) to house courses focusing on the digital topics, including both humanities (Digital Education) and sciences (the master’s degree in Digital Automation Engineering). This space was inaugurated in March 2024 after a comprehensive 12,000 square meter intervention and an investment exceeding 9 million euros, including adjacent buildings.
The Fourth Hub – said Architect Andrea Zamboni, who led the design and project management through his Design Studio ZAA in collaboration with Cairepro – has become a new piece of the city, a meeting space for diverse knowledge. We reinterpreted the old Reggiane structures to turn them into a new knowledge factory
The Fourth Hub, as it has come to be known, features a 290-seat auditorium, five single classrooms with about 60 seats each, four divisible classrooms with 80 seats, and two computer labs. Unimore had already developed an initial infrastructure and multimedia plan, which was enhanced through a tender won by Decima 1948, involving us to develop a design proposal. Unimore’s requirements aimed at creating a multipurpose auditorium suitable for all types of lectures and presentations and an overall improvement of the initial technical project, focusing on sound distribution and acoustics, as well as achieving sustainability and energy efficiency goals. Unimore requested a multipurpose auditorium suitable for any type of lecture and presentation, along with significant technical enhancements, paying special attention to sound distribution quality and acoustics. Additionally, the project aimed to achieve ambitious sustainability and energy efficiency targets.
A Versatile Auditorium with Our Inner Platform
“Installing the first version of Inner in this setting was a great privilege,” said Luca Dallaturca. With an industrial footprint translating into a flexible and functional space, the auditorium was equipped with an Inner platform: a multimedia, reconfigurable, built-in station under patent by Cavea Engineering, allowing scenarios to be recreated effortlessly by internal staff. Despite a relatively small stage area and limited floor depth, Inner enabled the creation of:
– A stage suited for frontal lectures with a speaker table and an optional podium;
– An area for TED Talk-style presentations, where the speaker can move freely;
– An informal talk show-style setup with armchairs or sofas.
Inner features movable, pre-wired elements, eliminating the need for manual connections during setup, enhancing the system’s durability through optimal cable management designed according to precise curvature criteria. It is designed to host 1U Rack elements, dimensioned for AV OverIP technology endpoints, either copper or fiber, connecting the system to modern ICT technologies
We designed Inner as a bridge between furniture and multimedia, meeting the university’s demand for versatility
Functional Improvements
We improved the infrastructure and multimedia equipment project by introducing various measures.
Supervision Software
First of all, a supervision, resource monitoring, and troubleshooting software was implemented, including maintenance scheduling. This tool enables even untrained staff to use various scenarios and the different functions of classrooms and laboratories.
USB-C Technology
We then proposed replacing the switches with an advanced matrix, significantly enhancing the usability of the rooms. This new solution, with expanded functionalities and the introduction of USB-C ports, allows instructors to connect directly to the system with their own devices, share content, and operate through their personal PC as they would with the room’s equipment. For instance, it is now possible to start a video conference from their laptop, using the PTZ cameras, the room’s microphone system, and benefiting from the echo cancellation provided by DSPs. This gives instructors the freedom to use the tools best suited to the type of lesson they want to deliver.
Video Projection
We chose Sharp-Nec projectors for two main reasons: their low noise levels—between 28 and 30 dB(A), among the lowest in the industry—which significantly reduce background noise from cooling fans, and their maintenance-free design. Thanks to a completely sealed optical laser LCD processor, the structure is filter-free, eliminating the need for maintenance.
Audio System Optimization
We then focused on optimizing the sound distribution system: for classrooms without specific challenges, we installed ceiling speakers, while for larger, taller rooms we proposed vertical line arrays designed for the vocal range to minimize natural reverberation. We also dedicated significant time to system equalization and alignment, measuring and tuning the system on-site.
“The audio system equalization phase for the most acoustically challenging classrooms was carried out with special attention,” noted Marco Trame, Founder and CTO of Cavea Engineering. “This allowed us to achieve STI values exceeding the requirements of current regulations.”
Environmental Sustainability
A crucial request from the client was to ensure greater attention to sustainability. We programmed Global Viewer Enterprise to manage automated system power on/off functions and set it up as a power controller, thereby reducing energy consumption.
On September 3, the Auditorium of the Fourth Hub was the venue for the presentation—both in-person and online—of the major Edunext project, an academic community that brings together 35 universities, 5 AFAMs, and 25,000 faculty members and researchers to share resources and knowledge for digital education, spanning all levels from freshmen to lifelong learning.
The Fourth Hub has already become a “special” place for education, and we are proud to have contributed to it.
Regenerate, Convert, Rethink: the architectural challenges of today
Architect Andrea Zamboni from Zamboni Associati Architettura, who collaborated with Cairepro on the design of the new pavilion 15c, specializes in the redevelopment of existing buildings: “I believe regenerating means preserving the memory but also the material presence of the buildings. Memory itself was the starting point for this project, combined with the awareness that today’s challenge is not expanding cities—land consumption must be limited for numerous environmental and quality of life reasons—but converting what exists for present-day uses. The Reggiane area was particularly suited for reinvention due to its industrial nature. We designed a kind of internal ‘skin’ in polycarbonate, a translucent façade that reveals what is happening inside, acting as an independent structure within the old buildings. Thanks to the shed roofs, which we preserved, there is abundant light, and we created a covered square next to the university’s active areas, thus reinterpreting the old factory.”
We collaborated with the ZAA studio from the start of our engagement, which began after the studio’s initial phase once the spaces had been defined. Andrea Zamboni shared: “We had several meetings with Cavea staff, and the university expected the best. The Inner solution met everyone’s expectations, as it fulfilled the client’s need for a truly multipurpose, easy-to-manage auditorium.”
From the beginning, there was a collaborative atmosphere with Zamboni, and we discovered in him a curious and open attitude towards technology: “Every new project means learning something new – Zamboni often told us. – I have frequently dealt with smart working, and each time I’ve seen how quickly technology advances. However, as an architect, I need to stay focused on my task and rely on a specialist to support me… my job, after all, is also finding the right person to help integrate technologies into my design.”
Acknowledgments
We would especially like to thank Architect Anna Gelli, Technical Director at Unimore, for her invaluable support.
The Inner solution met everyone’s expectations, as it fulfilled the client’s need for a truly multipurpose, easy-to-manage auditorium
ALTRI PROGETTI
