Brief
Architects have always been asked to breathe new life into ancient architectures inherited from the past or into historical – often monumental – artefacts that no longer respond to the customs and needs of contemporary society.
Nevertheless, the ancient architectures tell our story and therefore deserve to be restored with interventions that bring along a hint of modernity and show the trace of the design activity. The “Architecture for Heritage” course has been created on these premises. Its aim is training designers who will be able to understand and enhance the memory of historical architectures and take inspiration from them to carry out new interventions that both meet the new needs and are enriched by the link to the past. In a close dialogue between the ancient and the modern, between existing architectures and new interventions, it is possible to comprehend what has been and what is now, redesigning – through architecture – a historical line bound to be continued by future generations.
The students will learn about the most advanced survey strategies and redesign of historical architectures and thus be able to protect the ancient wonders without giving up on a contemporary approach to the project. They will acquire skills and experience in a field of design that is always present and offers continuous and valuable job opportunities.
The students will analyse the technical and compositional strategies to adopt in contexts that host outstanding existing architectures through the intervention on archaeological and industrial sites and focusing mainly on the accommodation and cultural use of historical buildings.
Course info
15 In person
5 Online
Bologna
7.9.2026 - 13.11.2026
3 days/weekNovember 2026 - February 2027
€ 9700 + VAT*
In person€ 3200 + VAT
Online8
3 with 90% coverage, 5 with 50% coverageTeaching modules & Workshops
Working in teams
Collaboration and conflict preventionDesigning the portfolio
Graphic design applied to personal brandingAI for visualization
Digital tools for project representationCase history
Successful examples of restoration of historical architecturesMultimedia for heritage
New digital languages for the enhancement of historical heritageIndustrial architecture
From the object to the project: restoration strategiesAncient is sustainable
Principles of environmental sustainability for historical architectureSeismic upgrading of historic architecture
Method, solutions and technologies for seismic optimization of the historic heritageSuburban scenarios
Urban reactivation and enhancement of the recent pastTypological research and restoration
Theoretical considerations and possible approaches in restorationHistorical non-monumental architecture
Meanings and specificities of vernacular architectureArt and ruins
Artistic languages as a tool to enhance historical architecturesThe new frontier of survey
Standard and cutting-edge techniques of architectural surveyDesigning on existing architecture
Compositional approach to historic architectureSite Visits
Medieval Bologna
Industrial Architecture of Lazio
Vulci Castle
Special lectures and critiques
The regeneration of the heart of Basel: the refurbishment of Stadtcasino
Ireland, between ancient and contemporary: Trinity College, Rush Library and Kilkenny Museum
Bocconi University: transforming the city between opacity and transparency
Behind the scenes in Piazza San Marco: Procuratie Vecchie
Monastery of Santa Maria Alcobaça: contemporaneity and transcendence
The restoration of Novara Castle: material and formal stratifications
Radicality of active conservation: Hill House Box
Yangshuo Sugarhouse Hotel: landscapes and eastern industrial heritage
New visitor center for Vulci Castle
Design workshop
Giuseppe Zampieri / David Chipperfield Architects Milano
The workshop will represent a practical synthesis through which participants can test all the knowledge provided throughout the other modules, ensuring strategic responses to a real architectural project. The course, conducted under the tutorship of Chipperfield Architects, will focus on the design of a visitor center at Vulci Castle, a medieval fortress considered one of the most iconic architectural landmarks of central Italy.
Set within an idyllic and preserved countryside, the fortress offers an ideal context in which to explore the relationship between antiquity and contemporary architecture. The prominent tower, stone walls, water-filled moats, and the extraordinary “Devil’s Bridge” (dating back to the 3rd century BC) provide a rare opportunity to experiment with contemporary architectural languages capable of unique expressive qualities, both technically and compositionally.
The inclusion of a museum space, a café, a bookshop, a conference area, or even accommodation scattered between the countryside and the ruins will constitute a set of evocative programmatic elements, capable of generating new experiences and perceptions of historic architecture—yet according to a distinctly Italian approach: welcoming and deeply rooted in its own history.
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.
Scholarship
By applying for the course, the students automatically become eligible to obtain a scholarship. This is awarded with a 90% coverage of the tuition fee to the top 3 candidates for each course, and a 50% coverage to those ranked from 4th to 8th place, according to the evaluation of the Selection Committee. Therefore, it is not necessary to make specific actions to apply for a scholarship. The scholarship does not cover the administration fee (73,20€) that has to be paid in order to complete the application process successfully.
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.
Applications opening
Applications deadline
Publication of the provisional ranking
Beginning of second-round admissions
Enrollment fee payment deadline for students admitted according to the provisional ranking
Publication of the official ranking (including second-round admitted students)
Lessons start
Download
Make sure you have downloaded the course brochure, from which you will be able to obtain any information about YACademy, as well as every single detail on how to access and enrol in the courses.
Course Brochure
English
Brochure Corso
Italiano
Download the 2023-2025 internships report
Find out all the statistics and placement methodology for the years 2023/24 and 2024/2025: more than 70 students entered Pritzker studios.
Partners
To each one of them, many thanks from YACademy staff and students.