Braga’s new student housing revitalizes historic factory
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Braga, a city in Portugal, recently opened the Confiança Student Residence, the country’s largest public student housing facility with 786 beds, built with over 29 million euros from the PRR fund.
The residence stands out because it was created by renovating the former Confiança soap and perfume factory, founded in 1894 and abandoned since 2005. Instead of building on new land, city planners chose to restore an existing building with a prime location and historical ties to the city.
This approach offers a faster, more sustainable, and symbolically richer alternative to new construction. Many Portuguese university towns share a similar situation, growing demand for student housing alongside abandoned buildings in their historic centers, presenting an opportunity for similar projects. The city of Coimbra, for example, has 237 abandoned properties in its downtown area. The Confiança project addresses multiple issues simultaneously.
It provides affordable student housing, prevents urban decay by restoring buildings, and revitalizes historic centers by bringing in young residents. Braga successfully combined municipal government, European funding, and university management to complete the project, demonstrating a replicable model for other cities. Other cities like Coimbra, Porto, Aveiro, and Évora possess similar opportunities, existing buildings, student demand, and access to funding, but need the political will to act.
