USI Accademia di architettura Mendrisio

22/05/2026

An Exhibition on Zurich's Urban Growth, curated by Jonathan Sergison and and Tom Avermaete

26 February – 28 June 2026
Zentrum Architektur Zürich (ZAZ) Bellerive
Opening hours: Wednesday–Sunday 2–6 pm / Thursday 2–8 pm / Closed Monday and Tuesday





The exhibition curated by Jonathan Sergison, Director of the Institute of Urban and Landscape Studies (ISUP) at USI Academy of Architecture, and Tom Avermaete, Chair of History and Theory of Urban Design at ETH Zurich. The exhibition is part of the Agorà project "Dialogues on Densification: Stories from Zurich", supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) to foster dialogue between research and society.

Zurich is bracing for a 25% surge in its population over the coming decades, with roughly 100,000 new inhabitants expected.
How can the city expand housing and infrastructure while preserving its high standards of urban quality and liveability?

The Agorà project was established specifically to make this topic more accessible to the public. Urban densification is often discussed in technical and quantitative terms, making it difficult for non-specialists to interpret. The project provides a space for dialogue among public administrations, investors, professionals, and citizens to collectively reflect on the social, economic, and environmental implications of urban transformation.

Utilising film, large-scale physical models, archival materials, drawings, and photography, the display charts Zurich's historical development and examines the urban codes that have shaped its growth. At the same time, it sets out potential design strategies for a qualitative and sustainable approach to densification, demonstrating how a more compact city can remain responsive to the public's needs—from housing and schools to healthcare, mobility, and public space.

The exhibition is accompanied by the publication of two volumes and a programme of activities, including public debates, workshops, and urban walks, designed to engage both citizens and professionals in a collective reflection on the city's future.

27/04/2026

Dialogue with Mario Botta and Jakob Bill
moderation Rachele Bianchi Porro, journalist RSI

Public event as part of the exhibition

max bill (1908-1994): la grammatica della bellezza
Curated by di Karin Gimmi and Nicoletta Ossanna Cavadini
m.a.x.museo
Via Dante Alighieri 6
6830 Chiasso

03/02/2026

Let It snow!
White Accademia

usi
mendrisio

🇨🇭

17/11/2025

13/11/2025

Nightlife Accademia di architettura
photo Davide Dentini .dentini

29/10/2025

Premio SIA Master Architecture 2025
Maria Giulia Folonari, with the project “Subsoil. The invisible becomes generative”,
Atelier Bonnet, prof. Frédéric Bonnet

Il progetto ha come protagonista il suolo, in un’area ubicata fra due località portoghesi. Il terreno preso in esame risulta contaminato, ma in questi ultimi 15 anni le convenzionali pratiche di risanamento non hanno prodotto alcun effetto. Folonari propone dunque un approccio bottom-up, con il coinvolgimento della popolazione locale. «La proposta può sorprendere per la sua discrezione e il suo pragmatismo, ma attesta un solido risvolto politico», così sottolinea la giuria. La rigenerazione a lungo termine e il coinvolgimento della popolazione non solo permettono di rivitalizzare il terreno, ma lo proteggono anche dalla speculazione fondiaria.

Special mention to Elena Lina-Gisela Starke with the project “Linha do sal. The line of salt culture in the 21st century”
(Atelier Miller, prof. Quintus Miller)

USI Università della Svizzera italiana (Official Page) @

13/10/2025

Alchimia. The Italian design revolution
Thursday 16 October 2025, 6.30 pm
Palazzo Canaveé, foyer

within the framework of the Academy's 'INCONTRI' programme





The Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio and its Library – to celebrate the recent remarkable retrospective curated by François Burkhardt on Radical Design on display at the Bröhan Museum in Berlin and soon to be shown at the ADI Design Museum in Milan – are promoting an event dedicated to Studio Alchimia, the most avant-garde group in the history of Italian design in the second half of the 20th century.

The event, which is part of a series of public appointments planned for the 2025/26 academic year, will be introduced by Director Riccardo Blumer together with Angela Windholz, Head of the Academy of Architecture Library Mendrisio, who promoted the initiative.
It will be also an opportunity to express gratitude to François and Linde Burkhardt for donating their personal library to the Academy of Architecture, to explore the key role of the personalities and visions of Studio Alchimia, and to reflect together on unconventional ways of thinking that today, more than ever, need to be rediscovered.
The programme for the meeting includes an introduction to the theme with the screening of the film “Alchimia. La rivoluzione del design italiano” (13 min.) by director Marco Poma, also provided by François Burkhardt.

A panel discussion with the protagonists of that important experience will follow.

With participation by:
François Burkhardt
Paolo Deganello
Alessandro Guerriero
Franco Raggi
moderated by Francesca Picchi

09/10/2025

We are happy to invite you to the Bachelor Info Day of the Academy of Architecture of Mendrisio.

https://join.usi.ch/en/bachelor-infoday-architecture

It is a unique opportunity to discover our academy, meet teachers and students, visit our laboratories and learn about our training offer. You will have the opportunity to participate in the presentation of the curriculum, as well as to explore our academic spaces and modern equipment.

The Bachelor Info Day allows you to get to know the Bachelor programme of the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and to meet some of the current students to have a direct testimony of the study experience. The next appointment is on Saturday 18 April 2025 on the Mendrisio campus or remotely.

17/03/2025

Atelier Mayol, Study trip in Naples



1. Certosa di San Martino. Napoli
2. Ferdinando Sanfelice. Giuseppe Astarita. Palazzo Cassano Ayerbo d'Aragona. Napoli. 1748
3. Ferdinando Sanfelice. Palazzo Sanfelice. Napoli. 1728. Main courtyard.
4. Ferdinando Sanfelice. Palazzo Sanfelice. Napoli. 1728. Main courtyard.
5. Ferdinando Sanfelice. Palazzo Sanfelice. Napoli. 1728. Small courtyard.
6. Nicolò Tagliacozzi Canale. Palazzo Costantino alla Costigliola. Napoli. 1739
7. Nicolò Tagliacozzi Canale. Palazzo Trabucco. Napoli.1734
8. Nicolò Tagliacozzi Canale. Palazzo Trabucco. Napoli.1734
9. Nicolò Tagliacozzi Canale. Palazzo Mastellone. Napoli. 1738
10. Antro della Sibilla. Parco archeologico di Cuma Pozzuoli. Napoli

14/02/2025

Diploma Seminar, Lisbon, South Shore: The Estuary at the Centre
Aires Mateus Archive


nunes.gomes