The Concept Design for Architecture course at YACademy supports students in developing key skills for architecture and design practices, with opportunities for hands-on experience.

The Concept Design for Architecture course, a project supported by Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto, trains students in the creative process to structure the very foundations of architectural thinking in an original and coherent way.

The course provides students with the competence to translate design needs into successful architectural concepts, which can have a great impact at a social level as well as on the media.

The design workshop is led by filmmaker Liam Young and tutored by Giulio Rigoni, associate at BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, and will offer participants the chance to engage with one of the most complex and radical scenarios of the near future: the coexistence of cities and nuclear infrastructure.

With a frequency of three days per week for two months, Concept Design for Architecture hosts several frontal teaching modules with the participation of numerous well-known professionals working at world-renowned companies, including Thom Mayne, Heatherwick Studio, Carlo Ratti and MAD.

Believing that construction is a fundamental step in architecture, YACademy offers its students the opportunity to participate in a construction workshop, gaining practical experience on construction sites and the authorship of projects capable of defining a turning point in their professional career.

At the end of the teaching modules and workshops, YACademy's placement office will guarantee every student an internship or collaboration proposal in one of its partner firms.

The course offers three scholarships with full coverage of the enrolment cost for the most deserving students. It is also possible to participate in the course remotely.

School: YACademy
Course: Concept Design for Architecture
Type: Short course
Location: Bologna, Italy and online
Course dates: June to August 2026
Application deadline: 13 March 2026

Applications to this course have now closed.

What will I learn during this course?

– Methodologies and processes of concept design, exploring the languages of art, creative research and problem solving
– Develop characteristics of versatility and competitiveness, valuable in any work context and with any client

What are the requirements?

– At least a B1 level in English
– Be a student or graduate in architecture, landscape architecture, design or heritage-related studies
– The Selection Committee can admit applicants who hold a different certificate from those mentioned above after examining their CV, portfolio, motivational letter and, possibly, interviewing them

What facilities and resources are available?

– An educational hub of excellence in a prestigious medieval place in the heart of Bologna
– An architecture library of more than 5,000 volumes
– Numerous apartments in the same building that houses the institute's classrooms
– The accommodation service is to be considered outside of the fees for attendance to the courses, and it is activated upon request of the students

What career prospects can I expect upon graduating?

Trained in developing effective design ideas capable of meeting project requirements, students will carry out a period of collaboration with one of YACademy's partner firms.

Such collaboration will have a minimum duration of two months and guaranteed remuneration consistent with regulatory requirements. Some of the professional players with expertise in relation to the course topic include Morphosis, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, Heatherwick Studio and Snøhetta.

Who teaches this course?

– Michelangelo Pistoletto, artist
– Thom Mayne, artist, founder of Morphosis Liam Young
– Carlo Ratti, founder of Carlo Ratti Associati
– Alborz Mohammadi, chief architect at Bofill Taller de Arquitectura
– Andrea D'Antrassi, associate partner at MAD Architects
– Cloe Yun Wang and Stewart Haotian Wu, founders of Practice on Earth
– Elias and Yousef Anastas, partners at AAU Anastas architects
– Marco Mazzotta, senior associate and project leader at Heatherwick Studio
– Giulio Rigoni, associate at BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
– Gabriel Calatrava, founder and lead designer of CAL Collaborative

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