A sensitive approach to the project of architecture: Special Lecture with Giuseppe Zampieri at Yacademy

By Federica Pellis and Giuliana Sabelli 

Architecture for Exhibition 2025-2026

On the 28th January 2026, the students of Architecture for Exhibition, Earth Architecture, and Architecture for Education courses had the opportunity to enrich their knowledge thanks to arch. Giuseppe Zampieri, director of David Chipperfield Architects Milan, in his special lecture. 

Recognizing a building’s value and significance as a first approach 

The wide variety of projects that were presented provided the opportunity to engage in a cross-course lecture and discussion about David Chipperfield Architects’ projects. Despite the variety of places, type of buildings and approaches, the succession in the presentation highlighted the elevated sensitivity of the studio to the context, the relationship between new interventions and existing situations, and people’s needs. 

Case studies: going into the “how” 

Firstly, he started with the University Campus in Padova, Italy. How it integrates in a system that already exists in the city, be it the Botanic Garden or the Roman Theatre, but also inside the existing building itself: how this new architectural piece emerged from a study of the use of the space and the way it was designed. A central space has been marked as a “public” area and a collective program for students was developed.  

Secondly, for the exhibition students, he talked about the Exhibition at Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza, Italy. How it respects the existing building as if it were a glass cage, while intervening with simple yet sophisticated architectural display systems in order to show all the finished and upcoming projects from DCA. One of the most important aspects of this design is the fact that not only has it been solved with this design display, but it also provides lighting techniques in order to highlight different parts of the project. 

In the third place, the exhibition in Palazzo Caffarelli about the Torlonia marble collection was presented as a project related to bricks, and how this material can enhance the narration throughout the art pieces. Zampieri emphasized how the lighting approach on the marble pieces makes it look like a lasting piece of art, as it was strategically located in the ceiling. Last but not least, each part of the exhibition was assigned a color in order to generate contrast between the displays and the marble pieces, developing one of the most relevant and famous exhibition designs of the firm. 

Conclusion: going beyond the task 

As arch. Zampieri affirmed, “We try to go beyond the task that is given to us”. The goal of their projects is to create a non-invasive architecture that fades in the context but which talks at the same time and creates and “conveys values beyond its function”. The flow through the lecture connected all the interests of the three courses thanks to different projects creating an inter-disciplinary discourse. For example, the project for museums had an educational approach, since the architecture helps to convey the information the exhibition wants to give the visitor. Furthermore, the wise and innovative use of bricks to expose the Torlonia marbles in Palazzo Caffarelli opened many inspirations to both Earth and Exhibition courses.