

In collaboration with YUST, POLO Architects explored a housing concept that brings together a combination of different living typologies within a former telephone factory. YUST (Young Urban Style) targets young adults seeking flexible urban living. This innovative concept offers a wide range ofaccommodation options, combining hotel functions with apartments. The building also accommodates a restaurant, a rooftop terrace, an event hall, pop-up spaces, and shared workspaces. On top of the historic building, which forms a solid base, POLO Architects designed an aluminium-clad volume inspired by the industrial residential heritage of the early twentieth century. The upper structure echoes several themes of the existing building, such as the vertical subdivision into bays and its rational structural logic. A central patio vertically pierces all floors, allowing abundant natural light to penetrate the heart of the volume. Rather than pursuing a restrictive restoration of the existing building, the project opted for a redevelopment strategy that balances respect for historical heritage with contemporary integration. The former telephone factory was carefully restored: the façade was cleaned, the joints repaired, and the blue stone elements cleaned. The color palette was aligned with the original condition. For the execution of the project, a lightweight steel structure was built on top of the existing construction. The floor slabs consist of a system of cold-formed steel elements.