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 represents 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 76 hours of seminars, 32 hours of workshops, and many interventions of renowned professionals.
At the end of the course, the Yacademy placement office will provide all students with the opportunity to work as interns/collaborators in one of our partner firms.
Course info
15 In person
5 Online
Bologna
8.3.2027 - 7.5.2027
3 days/weekJune 2027 - September 2027
€ 9700 + VAT*
In person€ 3200 + VAT
Online8
3 with 90% coverage, 5 with 50% coverageTeaching modules & Workshops
The use of wood as structural material
Features, performance and specificity of wood in structuresHistory and evolution of wood architecture
Historical analysis and case studiesWood between research and innovation
New applications and new trends for wooden architectureEngineering the wood project
From the project to the construction siteSpecies and essences
Wood types and characteristicsWood as a sustainable solution
Quantitative analysis of the environmental advantages of wood construction technologiesWood and vernacular architecture
Studying tradition as the basis for innovationMixing wood with other materials
The combination of different construction technologiesThe forest-wood chain
From the seed to the construction siteWood, re-use and social responsibility
Recycling wood as a business tool and as a way to compensate carbon emissionsDesigning with wood
Approach and methods of designing with woodSite Visits
Naturalia-BAU
Vibrobloc
Wood Architecture tour
Special lectures and critiques
Japanese imagery and esthetics: Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum
Yoshino: wood and traditional Japanese wood species
Between nature and architecture
Sculpting with wood: Reindeer Pavillion
Iconic architecture and relationship with the landscape: Greenland Visitor Centre
Art, architecture, and thought: thinking with wood
Architecture in a journey: Camp Adventure Forest Tower
Design with bamboo: scenarios and charm from Indonesia
A school for the Valley
Design workshop
Anteo Taro Boschi Sanada / Kengo Kuma & Associates
The workshop will provide a practical opportunity to apply the knowledge acquired throughout the other teaching modules by engaging in the design of a distributed training centre in the Ornica area, aimed at preserving and promoting the local food and wine culture. Under the tutelage of Anteo Taro Boschi Sanada of Kengo Kuma & Associates, course participants will be asked to devise an architectural system capable of blending into the valley’s landscape and transforming the heritage of knowledge, practices and traditions that characterise it into a driving force for its future.
The project will address one of the most pressing issues affecting mountain regions today: the gradual depopulation of small villages and, with it, the risk of losing not only residents but also cultures, crafts and knowledge built up over centuries of direct interaction with the local area. In an increasingly digital, fast-paced contemporary world, where we are increasingly detached from the processes through which the objects and food we consume are produced, Ornica will provide an opportunity to reflect on the value of knowledge deeply rooted in matter, time and place.
The training centre will therefore be conceived not as a single building, but as a constellation of initiatives capable of revitalising the village and its surrounding area. Spaces dedicated to the transmission of knowledge, production, social interaction and an understanding of food and wine culture will create a route through the valley, linking architecture, landscape and the community. Wood will play a central role in this process, not only as a construction material, but as an expression of a building culture linked to the resources, techniques and scale of the mountain landscape.
Through the project, course participants will be asked to reflect on how contemporary architecture can contribute to the preservation and evolution of a culture without turning it into a nostalgic image of itself. The workshop will aim to make Ornica a viable model for vulnerable areas: a place where heritage is not simply preserved, but passed on, reinterpreted and made productive once more, restoring architecture’s role as a cultural infrastructure capable of creating new reasons for living in the mountains.
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 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
Rules of the course in english
Brochure del Corso
Regole del corso in italiano
Download the 2025-2026 internships report
Find out all the statistics and placement methodology for the last year of courses: more than 26% of the students entered Pritzker studios.