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Educational offer

High-level training course, 2023 Edition

Wood Architecture

Course periodMar 11, 2024 – May 10, 2024
Applications deadlineDec 1, 2023
PlacementKengo Kuma & Associates, Snøhetta, AMDL Circle, MAST, NOA, MoDusArchitects
Wood Architecture

Brief

It is one of the oldest construction materials, absolute protagonist of well-known architectural traditions, and a technology which has proved capable of keeping a unique expressive energy over the centuries. 

The first human settlements were made of wood, just as the first Greek temple, the first Chinese pagodas, and the trusses of the great gothic cathedrals. Wood is one of the protagonists of architecture and, even if recent technological progress used to prioritize other research directions, today, environmental problems put wood centre stage in the debate and attracts the attention of architects. 

Wood is a renewable, natural, low carbon-footprint resource; it’s a healthy material, esthetically pleasant, capable of giving a cozy, human touch to any architecture. Today more than ever, architects need to go back to wood, to know how to use it to design and construct. 

The reason why the Wood Architecture course started is precisely this: training architects who are capable of using wood to make sustainable architecture, with a great visual impact, which represent the renovated balance between human needs and nature.  

Studying the wood production process, the various essences, and the characteristics of a material which is all but inert, which is in fact alive and constantly evolving, designers will learn techniques and composition of wood architecture, during a course that is made up of 80 hours of seminars, 32 hours of workshops, and many interventions of renowned professionals.

 

Promoter of the course: Klimahouse
Scientific curators: Alessandro Cecchini and Mauro Frate

Course info

Language

Italian

translation into English avalaible
Available places

15 In person
5 Online

Place

Bologna

Course timeline

11.3.2024 - 10.5.2024

3 days/week
Placement activation

June 2024 - August 2024

Enrollment fee

2,450 € + VAT

Online
Enrollment fee

7,900 € + VAT *

In person
Scholarships

3

Full coverage of the enrollment fee for the most outstanding candidates
* it can be split in three installments (with a 6% increase on the total amount)

Teaching modules & Workshops

Getting to know wood

Typologies, characteristics, and features of tree species

Why choose wood

Trends and evolution of contemporary architecture

History and evolution of wood architecture

Historical analysis and case studies

Wood between research and innovation

New applications and new trends for wooden architecture

Engineering the wood project

From the project to the construction site

Wood as a sustainable solution

Advantages and environmental impact of wooden constructions

The forest-wood chain

From the seed to the construction site

Wood and vernacular architecture

Studying tradition as the basis for innovation

Wood, re-use and social responsibility

Recycling wood as a business tool and as a way to compensate carbon emissions

Designing with wood

Approach and methods of designing with wood

Site Visits

Cesare Roversi Arredamenti

Naturalia Bau

Venezia

Cavalese

Special lectures and critiques

Technology as a new esthetic language: the case of the Kostner house

Sandy Attia / MoDusArchitects

Scandinavian DNA: Refugium Feinvaer

Dagur Eggertsson / Rintala Eggertsson

Sculpting with wood: Reindeer Pavillion

Patrick Lüth / Snøhetta

Japanese imagery and esthetics: Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum

Kengo Kuma / Kengo Kuma & Associates

Iconic architecture and relationship with the landscape: Greenland Visitor Centre

Lars Johan Almgren / Dorte Mandrup Architects

Art, architecture, and thought: thinking with wood

Michele De Lucchi / AMDL Circle

City on water: timber buildings and climate change

Marshall Blecher & Magnus Maarbjerg / MAST

Designing with wood on a big scale: Danish State Building Agency

Lone Wiggers / C.F. Møller Architects

Wood and hospitality: from the shell to the interior

Lukas Rungger / NOA

New architectural icons in Venice

Design workshop

Lars Johan Almgren / Dorte Mandrup

The workshop will be the opportunity to test the notions learned in the other didactical modules, as students are called to give strategic solutions to a real architectural project. The workshop is organized in collaboration with Vento di Venezia, concessionary company of the Certosa island since 2002. Located a few minutes by boat from the Arsenal and from some of the most iconic landmarks of Venice, the Certosa island is a hidden gems of one of the most fascinating cities in the world. Mostly covered in forests and nature, the island - which has recently been restored - hosts the fascinating ruins of the ancient Carthusian monastery and some artifacts built by the engineer corps.  With a renowned restaurant and its very own marina, the concessionary company aims at transforming the island into a high-end tourism destination, for those who want to immerse themselves in nature, in the heart of the historical marvels of Venice. In this view, designers will be asked to renovate the restaurant, develop lodge modules (on land and floating) to increase the accomodation potential of the island. Considering the maritime vocation of Venice, its construction tradition, and the strong presence of nature in the area, the Certosa island will be the perfect location for a workshop whose aim is to experiment wood design techniques, which can be consistent with the environment, the history, and the natural characteristics of the lagoon. 

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: one will be granted to each of the best 3 applicants for each course, consistently with the Selection Committee's evaluation. Therefore, it is not necessary to make specific actions to apply for a scholarship. The scholarship covers the entire enrollment fee - regardless of the type of attendance chosen -, but does not cover the administration fee (73,20€) that have 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

Pubblication 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

Rules

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

Partners

To each one of them, many thanks from YACademy staff and students.

Cesare Roversi ArredamentiAreslineContecKnaufZUMTOBELVento di Venezia

Designing and building with wood

Wood Architecture

Cover Wood Architecture

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