Brief
Architecture has always played a key role in exhibitions. Museums, exhibitions, and expositions are not only a cultural offer but are defined by space, by an exhibition itinerary that is able to surprise and fascinate the visitor who is drawn inside an active and inspiring experience.
For an exhibition, architecture is as fundamental as works of art, collections, and artifacts and their contents. The “Architecture for Exhibition” course has been created on these premises: its aim is to train professional designers who are able to materialize diverse artistic and museum experiences, enhancing the always-different story behind each cultural proposal. The students will acquire new skills in exhibition design and will move into a very prestigious environment – culture – which nowadays registers an increasing demand by the most critical and exclusive customers.
The students will focus on preservation practices, lighting techniques, and perception psychology to deepen their knowledge of technical practices to adopt in exhibition design.
Course info
15 In person
5 Online
Bologna
23.11.2026 - 12.2.2027
3 days/weekMarch 2027 - May 2026
9700 + VAT
In presence3200 + VAT
OnlineTeaching modules & Workshops
History of museography
The history of spaces for cultureContemporary art
The languages of artExhibition marketing and communication
Comparing cultural and commercial aspectsImmersive storytelling for exhibition
Fundamentals and solutions for digital storytellingCuration and visual communication
Architects as makers of a cultural itineraryCase history
Successful examples of exhibition designExhibition design
Exhibitions and museumsRealizing exhibition settings
"Technical choices and realization strategies "Precious
Preservation and exhibition techniquesCorporate museums
Show the past to tell the futureTrends in contemporary art research
New tensions in artistic thinking, between social and environmental responsibilityLight design
Light as the guide of the exhibition itinerarySustainability of exhibitions
Circularity and eco-compatibility in exhibitionSite Visits
Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Fondazione Prada
Crespi d'Adda Workers' Village
Special lectures and critiques
BIG and museums: architectures as iconic presences
Chipperfield & Exhibitions: from the Basilica Palladiana to the Torlonia Collection
From the Louvre Abu Dhabi to the National Museum of Qatar
The Nasher Sculpture Centre in Dallas: the museum as landscape
The power of essentiality: New Modern Museum
SFMOMA: the expansion of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Curated exhibition on design and architecture at MoMA
From the Tate Modern to the SongEun Building: museums seen by Herzgo & De Meuron
New Guggenheim Musesum
Design workshop
Andreas Fries & Tommaso Bernabò Silorata / Herzog & de Meuron
The workshop will provide a practical opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in the other modules, offering participants the chance to engage with a project of international significance. Led by Herzog & de Meuron, the workshop will focus on the design of a new museum complex in the village of Crespi d’Adda, in collaboration with the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
On a grand scale, often iconic or even monumental, industrial buildings have demonstrated how – through thoughtful and refined interventions – they can become formidable venues for art and culture: from the Tate Modern to the Prada Foundation, the history of architecture is rich in examples of distinguished museums created from disused industrial spaces. Students will therefore have the opportunity to follow in this tradition, devising a new setting for the exhibition of one of the world’s most famous and prestigious art collections: the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
Through this workshop, students will not only have the opportunity to work on an architectural site of unique historical and cultural significance – already a UNESCO World Heritage Site – but also to put their creativity to work for a museum ‘brand’ whose name is associated with works by artists such as Picasso, Kandinsky, Pollock and Magritte.
The workshop will also focus on reflecting on the significance of museum architecture: not merely a place for the conservation and display of valuable works, but rather a dynamic and versatile space for culture and artistic research, capable of incorporating new functions and activities, in line with the students’ perspectives.
Construction workshop
Construction is a fundamental step in architecture. For this reason, YACademy offers its students the opportunity to participate in the process of producing their own ideas. Thus, the students will gain practical experience on construction sites and, above all, the authorship of projects built for excellent commissions, destined for a major media echo and capable of defining a turning point in their professional career.
Placement
At the end of teaching modules and workshop, YACademy’s Placement office will guarantee every student an internship or collaboration proposal in one of our partner studios.
Teachers
Admission
Requirements
Students or graduates in Architecture/Design can apply to the course. The commission, based on the assessment of the application, may admit students with different qualifications.
Registration
To apply, it is necessary to register online and submit a Curriculum Vitae, a Portfolio, and a Motivational Letter. Moreover, it is necessary to pay the administration fee (60€ + VAT). The best 20 candidates will be admitted to the course according to the rules.
The administration fee payment does not bind the student to purchase the course.
Timeline
Complying with deadlines is a fundamental requirement to take part in the course. All students are encouraged to pay the utmost attention to the timeline and to complete each phase in advance.