Inaugurated in 2019, the new Beato Pellegrino Complex once housed a geriatric hospital and now sits as a modern facility encompassing over 23,000 square metres of educational excellence. Architect Paolo Portoghesi oversaw renovations of the complex’s vast 4,500 square metered library holding 300 seats, 2,300 square meters of classrooms holding 1,500 sits, and offices for about 400 workstations.

Aimed as a project dedicated to sustainability, the complex offers open spaces for the social interaction between students and scholars of the Humanistic Centre. The work for the complex began under the rectors Vincenzo Milanesi and Giuseppe Zaccaria.

The first gas-free building of the University of Padua, the complex was awarded recognition by the Italian Energy Services Manager (GSE S.p.A.) and the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance. The complex uses thermal-acoustic insulation, solar panel shading and renewable energy through pumps and heat recovery units. Rather than fossil fuels, geothermal probes and photovoltaic panels merge for the use of electricity, resulting in a reduction of emissions equal to 42 tons of CO2 in the air per year.

A recent agreement for the purchase of the remaining portion of the building will allow for expansion and complete renovations.