International WAVE Workshop at New York Institute of Technology and Università Iuav di Venezi
New York Institute of Technology and Università Iuav di Venezia‘s International WAVE Workshop sees architecture students spend two weeks in Venice developing building proposals through various dynamic processes.
Course details
School: New York Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Design, in collaboration with Università Iuav di Venezia
Course: International WAVE Workshop, Summer Study Abroad Course
Type: summer school
Location: Venice, Italy
Course dates: Summer 2027, exact dates TBC (2026 edition took place across 17 days in July)
Application deadline: Spring 2027
Course overview
Organised through a partnership between the New York Institute of Technology’s School of Architecture and Design (NYIT–SoAD) and Università Iuav di Venezia, this international summer study-abroad programme brings together architecture students and educators from around the world for an intensive design workshop in Venice, Italy.
As part of Iuav’s annual WAVe (Workshop Architecture Venice), the programme engages students in collaborative architectural research, experimentation, and speculative design across different geographical, cultural, and environmental contexts.
The 2026 edition, titled Sacred Equilibria: The Architecture of New Cosmogonies, explored relationships between architecture, nature, territory and collective life.
Over 17 days, 62 students worked across eight international sites through the conceptual lenses of Ground, Water, Air, and Landscape.
Students developed architectural proposals through drawings, models, material experimentation and spatial installations. The workshop culminated in a collective exhibition showcasing the students’ research and design proposals.
Through this immersive international experience, participants develop critical design methodologies, interdisciplinary perspectives, and collaborative approaches to architectural practice while engaging with Venice as an expanded urban and cultural classroom.
What will I learn during this course?
- architectural research and conceptual development
- speculative design
- site and territorial analysis
- drawing and physical modelling
- spatial installations and exhibition design
- interdisciplinary collaboration
- cross-cultural communication
What are the requirements?
Previous participants included students enrolled in professional architecture degree programmes.
What career prospects can I expect upon graduating?
Develops skills applicable to:
- architectural design practice
- urban design
- interdisciplinary research
- international collaboration
- advanced architectural studies
Who teaches this course?
- Raffaella Laezza, professor and scientific director, second-level master CO2=0, Università Iuav di Venezia
- Giovanni Santamaria, associate dean and professor, NYIT School of Architecture and Design
- Evan Shieh, assistant professor, NYIT School of Architecture and Design
