Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio

The Academy of Architecture offers an innovative, interdisciplinary, humanist and generalist educational and teaching model, suitable for our times. This has enabled the school to make a name for itself and play a leading role in the international panorama of architecture schools. The Academy is one of the five faculties of the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and is based in Mendrisio.
Direct learning through practical work in the design studios under the tutelage of authoritative internationally renowned architects is accompanied by a rich offering of courses in history and the humanities, where the teaching is devoted to the history of architecture and art, philosophy, sociology and technical-scientific courses open to contemporary issues and advanced courses in the representation of the project. Together with a training in architecture, a course of study in the history and theory of art and architecture completes the school’s offerings, giving further depth to its humanist vocation and cultural dimension.
The educational offering of the school is part of a broader mission, which includes scientific research, in the historical-artistic field as well as the architectural-urbanistic, and cultural activities, which range from a rich programme of conferences and publications to exhibitions and other events in the Theatre of Architecture.

ASBR

Architecture Studio Boenders Raynaud (ASBR) was founded in 2021 by Marie Boenders and Thomas Raynaud. Based in Paris, ASBR develops public and private projects in France and Europe. Their work focuses on the transformative process of built situations by defining frameworks open to singularities. Thomas currently teaches at the ENSA Versailles.

Barão Hutter

Their work stands out for including multidisciplinary teams of artisans and artists to carry out poetic and atmospheric projects in the areas of architecture, urban planning and landscaping throughout all project phases. Both have been part of the Federation of Swiss Architects BSA since 2015, by invitation.

DF_DC

DF_DC is an architectural practice established in Lugano and London in 2016, founded by Dario Franchini (CH) and Diego Calderon (MX), after having met at the Accademia di Architettura in Mendrisio (CH) in 2004. Our work involves the production of buildings, places and strategies for a range of sectors, pursuing an elemental space – an architectural language that is both legible and porous, interested in the relationship between structure and tangible finish.
We work amidst engineers, geographers, developers, landscapers, and craftspeople; our buildings are large and small, mostly urban but sometimes in the mountains. We learn and exchange information from the different tectonic cultures we work or live in. We lead an undergraduate design studio at Kingston University since 2018 and have previously taught and lectured in the UK, Switzerland, Mexico and Argentina. Selected by Wallpaper* as one of 20 international practices to watch in 2020, as well as in New Architects 4, a “survey of the best emerging architects in the UK”. The practice was awarded an honourable mention at the Guadalajara Biennial 2019, the Best Architects ‘22 prize and had its first monograph published by Quart Verlag in 2021.

Fondamenta

Milan-based FONDAMENTA was founded by Francesca Gagliardi and Federico Rossi. Strong is the belief in research and experimentation applied to construction where building is the end to which architecture must strive to become itself and technology the tool used to reach this result.
FONDAMENTA questions conventions and supports contradictions. Fascination for structure and freedom from dogma represent the premises for the research; Structure traces space, organizes the program and generates the building.
Governance of architecture through technology is believed to be the key to the creation of an organism.Technology drives efficiency, precision and control through the entire process. In 2019 the studio completed its first new building, the Winery of Monforte d’Alba, and is currently dealing with different scale projects, starting from a domestic infrastructure masterplan in Val di Noto, Sicily. Surrealism reigns supreme. FONDAMENTA believes in synergies between professional and academic worlds.
Invited to lecture and publish on several international institutions and platforms, starting from September 2022 FONDAMENTA will be teaching as academic guest at ETH – Zürich.

Giulia & Hermes Killer

Giulia Augugliaro, born in Mendrisio in 1991, studied architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ETH, where she graduated in 2016. Hermes Killer, born in Mendrisio in 1989, studied architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ETH and the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio, where he graduated in 2015.
Together they founded the architecture office giulia and hermes killer architects based in Locarno and active since 2017 across the entire spectrum of the architectural discipline.
In their work, based on an understanding of architecture as a cultural activity that reflects societal dynamics, the analytical and inventive method are strongly and constantly intertwined.
They are currently working on several projects touching the fields of monuments conservation and renovation, building for agricolture and tourism in remote contexts and urban cooperative housing.

Lütjens Padmanabhan

After a joint stint at Diener & Diener Architekten, Oliver Lütjens and Thomas Padmanabhan opened their own practice in Zürich, in 2007. Their work focuses mainly on collective housing and individual homes: they are usually commissioned for projects in remote neighbourhoods that lack a clearly defined history or identity. They aim to design distinctive facades that emerge from the ambient anonymity. In collaboration with Caruso St John Architects, the pair is currently working on a residential complex in Zürich that includes 100 apartments, office spaces and a childcare facility, as well as on the Swiss embassy building in Algeria.
In addition to their architectural work, Lütjens and Padmanabhan have actively taught at ETH Zürich, TU of Munich and EPF Lausanne. They are currently Visiting Critics at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Piovenefabi

Piovenefabi is an architecture studio founded by Ambra Fabi and Giovanni Piovene, based in Milan and Brussels. The studio produces architecture, urban research, territorial visions, and public design works regardless of the size, commission, or client. When dealing with a shared context and its almost infinite interpretations, Piovenefabi believes spaces and objects can act as supports for both personal and collective experiences.
The studio was part of the curatorial team of the Lisbon Architecture Triennial 2019-The poetics of reason with the exhibition What is ornament?, which investigated the role of ornament in the actual architectural production.
The office works have been exhibited in the following venues: Mayrit Bienal (2021), Lisbon Architecture Triennial (2019, 2016), Rotterdam Biennale (2014), Chicago Architecture Biennale (2015, 2017), Campo (2016), Frac-Orleans (2017), Maniera-Brussels (2018). The office project 5 Pavilions for 5 Parks has won the Visit Brussels Awards 2018, and has been shortlisted for the T-Young, Medaglia d’oro dell’Architettura 2018 and the Brussels Architecture Prize 2021.

Salottobuono

Salottobuono is an architectural office based in Milan, directed by Matteo Ghidoni.
The studio’s work ranges from urban design to architecture, from temporary installations to exhibition design. Salottobuono is also constantly engaged in research, publishing and teaching activities. Always active in the international arena, the studio is currently in charge of developing public space and landscape redevelopment projects on behalf of several Italian administrations. Salottobuono relies on the collaboration of a network of specialists for the development of all phases of the project in its structural, plant engineering, economic and site management aspects. It also collaborates with consultants on landscape and environmental sustainability issues.
Matteo Ghidoni obtained his Master Degree in architecture at IUAV Faculty of Architecture in Venice in 2002. He was a founding partner of the research agency Multiplicity from 2002 to 2006.
Ghidoni founded the architectural office Salottobuono in 2007. Salottobuono has served as editor of the Instructions and Manuals section of Abitare magazine
(2007-10) and as creative director of Domus magazine (2011, 2012). The office has taken part in the Venice Biennale (2008, 2012, 2014), and designed the Italian Pavilion in 2010. Salottobuono published the Manual of Decolonization (2010) and Fundamental Acts (2016).
Since 2010, Ghidoni has been co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of San Rocco, an independent international publication about architecture. The editors of San Rocco were received the Icon Award in 2012 as the best emerging architecture practice. In 2012 and 2013, the magazine was awarded two grants from the Graham Foundation.

Sergison Bates

Established in 1996, we started small: our first commission was for a public house in Walsall which won an award for the best new- build pub in 1999. This was the beginning of our interest in public architecture. Other interesting projects followed: a prototype for suburban housing in Stevenage – our first exploration of social housing, a studio house in Bethnal Green and the transformation of a former paint factory into a residential building.
Over the years our focus has expanded both geographically and typologically, and so has recognition of our work. We were awarded the Schelling Prize for Architecture and the Tessenow Gold Medal in 2006, and a number of RIBA awards and international prizes have followed.
Since the outset, we have engaged with the debate within the profession by lecturing and writing, and have curated a number of exhibitions about the themes we continue to explore in our projects: brickwork construction; affordable housing; the relationship between thinking and making; and teaching and practice.

Ambra Fabi

Ambra Fabi studied in Mendrisio and Paris Belleville. She worked at Architeckturbüro Peter Zumthor und Partner. She has been teaching assistant in Mendrisio (CH) and professor at IED Cagliari and KU Leuven Sint Lucas Brussels. She is currently teaching at École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture in Marne-la-Vallée Paris Est, UCL LOCI St Gilles et ULB La Cambre.
Piovenefabi is an architecture studio founded by Ambra Fabi and Giovanni Piovene, based in Milan and Brussels. The studio produces architecture, urban research, territorial visions, and public design works regardless of the size, commission, or client. When dealing with a shared context and its almost infinite interpretations, Piovenefabi believes spaces and objects can act as supports for both personal and collective experiences. The studio was part of the curatorial team of the Lisbon Architecture Triennial 2019-The poetics of reason with the exhibition What is ornament?, which investigated the role of ornament in the actual architectural production. The office works have been exhibited in the following venues: Mayrit Bienal (2021), Lisbon Architecture Triennial (2019, 2016), Rotterdam Biennale (2014), Chicago Architecture Biennale (2015, 2017), Campo (2016), Frac-Orleans (2017), Maniera-Brussels (2018). The office project 5 Pavilions for 5 Parks has won the Visit Brussels Awards 2018, and has been shortlisted for the T-Young, Medaglia d’oro dell’Architettura 2018 and the Brussels Architecture Prize 2021.

Dario Franchini

DF_DC is an architectural practice established in Lugano and London in 2016, founded by Dario Franchini (CH) and Diego Calderon (MX), after having met at the Accademia di Architettura in Mendrisio (CH) in 2004.
Our work involves the production of buildings, places and strategies for a range of sectors, pursuing an elemental space – an architectural language that is both legible and porous, interested in the relationship between structure and tangible finish. We work amidst engineers, geographers, developers, landscapers, and craftspeople; our buildings are large and small, mostly urban but sometimes in the mountains. We learn and exchange information from the different tectonic cultures we work or live in.
We lead an undergraduate design studio at Kingston University since 2018 and have previously taught and lectured in the UK, Switzerland, Mexico and Argentina. Selected by Wallpaper* as one of 20 international practices to watch in 2020, as well as in New Architects 4, a “survey of the best emerging architects in the UK”. The practice was awarded an honourable mention at the Guadalajara Biennial 2019, the Best Architects ‘22 prize and had its first monograph published by Quart Verlag in 2021.

Diego Calderon

DF_DC is an architectural practice established in Lugano and London in 2016, founded by Dario Franchini (CH) and Diego Calderon (MX), after having met at the Accademia di Architettura in Mendrisio (CH) in 2004.
Our work involves the production of buildings, places and strategies for a range of sectors, pursuing an elemental space – an architectural language that is both legible and porous, interested in the relationship between structure and tangible finish. We work amidst engineers, geographers, developers, landscapers, and craftspeople; our buildings are large and small, mostly urban but sometimes in the mountains. We learn and exchange information from the different tectonic cultures we work or live in.
We lead an undergraduate design studio at Kingston University since 2018 and have previously taught and lectured in the UK, Switzerland, Mexico and Argentina. Selected by Wallpaper* as one of 20 international practices to watch in 2020, as well as in New Architects 4, a “survey of the best emerging architects in the UK”. The practice was awarded an honourable mention at the Guadalajara Biennial 2019, the Best Architects ‘22 prize and had its first monograph published by Quart Verlag in 2021.

Ivo Barão

Atelier Barão-Hutter, based in St.Gallen, Switzerland, was founded in 2010 by Ivo Barão (1986, MSc Arch FAUP BSA) who studied at the Faculty of Architecture of Porto FAUP and at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio AAM USI and by Peter Hutter (1984, MSc Arch ETH BSA) who studied at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ETH and at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio AAM USI.

His work stands out for including multidisciplinary teams of craftsmen and artists for the realization of poetic and atmospheric projects in the fields of architecture, urban planning and landscaping throughout all project phases
Both have been part of the Federation of Swiss Architects BSA since 2015, by invitation.

Jonathan Sergison

Based in the Zurich office, Jonathan is responsible for the leadership and creative formation of the Swiss studio. He is involved in client liaison and all stages of project development. He is jointly responsible for the design direction of the practice.
He graduated from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in 1989 and gained professional experience working for David Chipperfield and Tony Fretton.
Jonathan has taught at a number of schools of architecture, including the University of North London, the Architectural Association in London, was Visiting Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale in Lausanne (EPFL), the Oslo School of Architecture and Design and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Since 2008 he has been Professor of Design and Construction at the Accademia di Mendrisio, Switzerland, and in 2019 became Director of the newly established Istituto di Studi Urbani e del Paesaggio (ISUP, Institute of Urban and Landscape Studies).
He is particularly interested in urban questions and the changing conditions of the contemporary European city. More specifically, he has addressed through writing, teaching and practice the role housing might play in this changing context.
He regularly writes and lectures, attends reviews in schools of architecture and competition juries.

Matteo Ghidoni

Matteo Ghidoni is an architect, editor and publisher based in Milan. He obtained his Master Degree in architecture at IUAV Faculty of Architecture in Venice in 2002.
He was a founding partner of the research agency Multiplicity from 2002 to 2006. His work with Multiplicity was exhibited at Kunstwerke in Berlin (2003), the Venice Biennale (2003), the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris (2003), the ZKM in Karlsruhe (2004) and the Beijing Biennial (2004).
Ghidoni founded the architectural office Salottobuono in 2006. Salottobuono has served as editor of the “Instructions and Manuals” section of Abitare magazine (2007-10) and as creative director of Domus magazine (2011, 2012). The office has taken part in the Venice Biennale (2008, 2012, 2014), and designed the Italian Pavilion in 2010. Salottobuono published the “Manual of Decolonization” (2010) and “Fundamental Acts” (2016). Matteo Ghidoni has been a guest professor at the Istituto Universitario d’Architettura di Venezia in the Faculty of Architecture, the Politecnico in Milan, the Royal Danish Academy of Arts in Copenhagen and the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotà. He has given guest lectures at several schools and institutions including the Berlage Institute, Berkeley, and Columbia University.
Among the recent projects designed and built by Ghidoni there are the winning proposal for a temporary restaurant for the 25th Biennale Interieur in Kortrjik, Belgium (2016), the pavilion for the Mèxtropoli Festival in Mexico City (2017), the e-flux pavilion for the Milano ArchWeek (2018), the new Urban Center for the city of Milan, hosted in the Triennale palazzo dell’Arte (2019) and the new addition to the Venice Casino in Ca’ Noghera (2020).
Since 2010, he has been co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of San Rocco, an independent international publication about architecture. The editors of San Rocco magazine were received the Icon Award in 2012 as the best emerging architecture practice. In 2013 the magazine also received a Grant to Organizations from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts.

Oliver Lütjens

After a joint stint at Diener & Diener Architekten, Oliver Lütjens and Thomas Padmanabhan opened their own practice in Zürich, in 2007. Their work focuses mainly on collective housing and individual homes: they are usually commissioned for projects in remote neighbourhoods that lack a clearly defined history or identity. They aim to design distinctive facades that emerge from the ambient anonymity. In collaboration with Caruso St John Architects, the pair is currently working on a residential complex in Zürich that includes 100 apartments, office spaces and a childcare facility, as well as on the Swiss embassy building in Algeria.
In addition to their architectural work, Lütjens and Padmanabhan have actively taught at ETH Zürich, TU of Munich and EPF Lausanne. They are currently Visiting Critics at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Thomas Padmanabhan

After a joint stint at Diener & Diener Architekten, Oliver Lütjens and Thomas Padmanabhan opened their own practice in Zürich, in 2007. Their work focuses mainly on collective housing and individual homes: they are usually commissioned for projects in remote neighbourhoods that lack a clearly defined history or identity. They aim to design distinctive facades that emerge from the ambient anonymity. In collaboration with Caruso St John Architects, the pair is currently working on a residential complex in Zürich that includes 100 apartments, office spaces and a childcare facility, as well as on the Swiss embassy building in Algeria.
In addition to their architectural work, Lütjens and Padmanabhan have actively taught at ETH Zürich, TU of Munich and EPF Lausanne. They are currently Visiting Critics at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Giulio Tamma

Luís Pedro de Macedo

Luís Pedro de Macedo is a Portuguese architect and urban planner based in Zürich. He co-founded – ambar in 2023 with Duarte Barbosa Pereira, a practice committed to resource-sensitive and socially engaged projects that explore local craftsmanship, pre-fabrication, and circular approaches to building. Since 2021, he has taught at Porto Academy and has been invited as a guest critic at HFT Stuttgart. He previously worked with Caruso St. John Architects, Miroslav Šik, Knapkiewicz & Fickert, Mathias Klotz, and aNC Architects, and served as an Urban Planner for the United Nations in Africa. He is also a Board Member and European Chapter Director of MaSCA – Mathare Slums Community Association, supporting community-led initiatives in Nairobi’s Mathare slums.

Maribel Sengewald

Patrick Hennerici

Samuele Bertoni 

Samuele Bertoni is a Zurich-based architect, he obtained an MAS from the University of Ferrara and studied at Faup in Porto.

After working for Nuno Brandão Costa Arquitectos in Porto and Arquitectura G in Barcelona he’s currently working at E2A in Zurich.

He collaborated as an assistant in several academic workshops at the Porto Academy with studios including Salottobuono, Fondamenta and Daryan Knoblauch. In 2024, his project “Gypsotechno” (in collaboration with HPO Collective) was selected for the Swiss Biennale of Territory in Lugano.

Indexnewspaper

Indexnewspaper is a magazine of architecture printed in newspaper paper.
The editorial contains an interview, a visit to an office, projects and works, and essays. The front cover has an ” artwork ” designed by an invited artist.
Since 2012 Indexnewspaper has been part of several worldwide events related to publishing and editorial design.
Indexnewspaper was awarded with the prize Clube de Criativos de Portugal 2012 for editorial design and selected for the collection of the library of MOMA in New York.
Alongside with the regular edition, Indexnewspaper published special editions and the edition of books. Indexnewspaper has also organized conferences, exhibitions, and workshops.
For us, Index is “the finest newspaper”.

Indexshop

Indexshop presents you an ongoing independent selection of books and objects of architects, artists and designers. It is also the Indexnewspaper and Porto Academy official store.

Beyond its curatorial vocation, Indexshop is increasingly committed to supporting architectural practice by supplying studios with a carefully selected range of architectural hardware and project-specific solutions.

Gyptec

Gyptec Ibérica, a portuguese company part of the Preceram Group, has been engaged in the production of laminated gypsum boards (also known as plasterboards), using clean and environmentally sustainable methods, since 2009
The Industrial and Business Cluster of Figueira da Foz, where Gyptec is located, is part of the most complete node of traffic distribution in the central region of Portugal, where the maritime, rail and road networks are all interconnected.
A pioneer in the production of gypsum boards in Portugal, Gyptec develops solutions, for construction and rehabilitation, resistant to fire, impact and humidity, with high thermal and acoustic performance.
Gyptec gypsum boards are rated A+ for indoor air quality. This qualification comes from the French regulations for emissions of volatile pollutants, with Category A+ being the best indoor air quality classification. Gyptec products are certified and internationally recognized for their excellent quality, being an essential presence in the main works of the entire Iberian Peninsula.

PANORAMAH!

With surfaces above 98% structural glass, minimalist windows are all about glazing. From an industrial point of view, more significant glass dimensions require larger tempering furnaces, smooth operability and technical performances impose precision and higher quality standards, often more demanding than defined by international glass processing norms.
To keep up with new challenges, panoramah! verticalized its industrial activity and integrated glass transformation in 2011. Continuously investing in its transformation capacity ever since, it became one of the largest glass transformers in Europe with a 9-metre furnace and the ability to process double- and triple-glazed units up to 29 sqm. This capacity has proved critical in different processes, mainly as glass progressively absorbs new functions, admits irregular and curved shapes or assumes various aesthetic requirements.
panoramah! is currently the only manufacturer of minimalist windows in the world that processes and manufactures the main components of its systems, having full control and accountability over the entire process. From design to manufacture and installation, we answer for the complete system, both glass and aluminium. We streamlined glass transformation, adaptation to the system and transportation to the job site, rendering an apparently risky and complex procedure into an everyday job.
Furthermore, with built experience in over 60 different countries and a strong network of more than 50 certified specialized partners, panoramah! is effectively present throughout the globe. Supported by our team, this network is composed by fully experienced technicians that ensure a constant presence at all stages, from glazing consulting to installation and long-term maintenance.