As the first postgraduate institute in architectural education born from connections with some of the most influential figures in contemporary design, Yacademy offers everyone who steps through its doors the chance to grow—both professionally and personally. Here, young architects experience a comprehensive journey designed to enhance their skills, sharpen their sensitivity, and foster meaningful relationships. A cornerstone of this journey is the construction workshop.
After intensive weeks of lectures, design studios, site visits, and conversations with world-renowned architects, Yacademy students roll up their sleeves, don their work gear, and bring to life a real installation—built entirely from scratch.
There are no words that can truly capture this experience, and I feel like I've been able to see architecture through new lenses.—Raphaela Nicolettis, Architecture for Landscape 2024/2025 at Yacademy
This is the essence of Yacademy's construction workshop: breathing life into matter, experiencing creation firsthand, and understanding the value of collaboration at the highest level of practice. As the final phase before the placement program, the workshop is a time for students to exchange ideas and skills, strengthen connections, and create unforgettable memories.
Under the guidance of Giuseppe Grant from Orizzontale—an architecture studio based in Rome—students join forces to turn their visions into reality, crafting installations that find their home in some of Italy's most evocative settings.
In 2023, students created an artistic installation and placed it in Carrara's marble quarries, which are cherished all over the world for its magnificent rock. Known for its white or blue-grey shade and its durability, Carrara's marble creates a majestic and almost spiritual landscape in the quarries where it originates.
Another deeply resonant site is the Eremo delle Carceri in Assisi, where students created benches during the Fall 2024 workshop. These benches now offer a place for friars and visitors to sit in silence, reconnect with nature, and appreciate the spiritual essence of the place—just as Saint Francis once did.
Finally, Yacademy and Orizzontale curated the crafting and installation of original seats in the peaceful Horti park in Pavia, a space which was requalified and opened to the public by the Almo Collegio Borromeo, Italy's most ancient college of merit. Placed in front of a lake housing artist Arnaldo Pomodoro's work, the seats crafted by Yacademy's students offer visitors an opportunity to interact with each other and share pleasant moments of discussion and sharing.
Thus, not only did the works realized by Yacademy's students find a place in prestigious contexts; they also brought something new to such places, enhancing the aesthetic quality and the possibility for interaction and community. They elevated the aesthetic value and fostered opportunities for connection and shared experiences. The construction workshop, then, is not only a chance to refine one's design and teamwork abilities, but also a powerful moment for building relationships and discovering the joy of making.
At its heart, building is both challenging and deeply rewarding. While it demands effort and perseverance, it also reconnects students with the childlike joy of creation—of playing with purpose.
After sharing precious moments, Yacademy students work together on a real project, combining theory with practice and reinforcing the friendships they have built during their time together. They come to understand how powerful cohesion, collaboration, and shared vision can be—in architecture and in life—enriching their journey with lasting memories, meaningful connections, and genuine emotion.
To celebrate this experience, each construction workshop concludes with a special artistic performance. Once the installations are completed and inaugurated, they become the stage for a final event—a shared moment where art, performance, and community converge. It's a time for students to reflect, celebrate, and come together once more with the peers who shared this intense and unforgettable chapter of their lives.
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