An estimated 1 million euros will be spent by the University of Coimbra (UC) to renovate the ‘Alegria’ residence in the city's upper district. Following a public tender in which five competitors participated, the business Lado Renovado was given the contract for renovating the student residence in December 2024. The project, which entails a complete requalification of the dwelling, is anticipated to be finished this year.

The University of Coimbra director’s media officer explained that the project entails a “profound requalification of the residence, including functional and comfort, energy, and structural issues”.

In order to “move forward as quickly as possible with the necessary requalification, creating conditions for faster preparation of processes, projects, and the respective contract,” the director explained, the Alegria residence was closed during the 2023-2024 academic year. The project maintains the building’s current volume, but the UC said that a minimal reduction in the number of beds in the block was necessary (from 44 to 42), due to the needs and regulatory restrictions in place.

This is one of the initiatives that UC has started to implement in order to improve the dormitories available to its students. Other proposed investments include the refurbishment of the Combatants’ house. The UC will have about 1,400 beds after the four initiatives which are currently taking place are completed.