Brief
Public space has always been the stronghold of democracy and social equity.
Parks, squares and urban voids are more than mere places: they are a reflection of the collective consciousness of a city, a space for social interaction beyond any division and an opportunity to access beauty, especially for the most fragile segments of a community.
Yet, in spite of its central role in urban well-being, public space is more at risk of degradation or neglect, or of being left out of the design process.
For this reason, the course in “Architecture for Common Spaces’’ was created to put public space back at the centre of the designer’s action, training a new generation of architects to generate urban spaces of particular relevance (indoor or outdoor), and thus reaffirm the timeless role of architecture as an instrument of civilisation and social well-being.
Through a study of flows and proxemics and a focus on numerous tangent disciplines (such as art, lighting engineering and the design of green spaces), designers will be provided with the tools to generate spaces which can have a real impact on the mechanisms of interaction between people and to give a meaningful contribution of beauty and architectural quality to the broader public.
The course consists of 84 hours of frontal teaching, 32 hours of workshop and numerous interventions by renowned professionals. At the end of the training course, the Yacademy Placement office will offer each student an internship/collaboration proposal within the partner studios.
Course info
15 In person
5 Online
Bologna
8.9.2025 - 14.11.2025
3 days/weekNovember 2025 - February 2026
€ 2,900 + VAT
Online€ 9,700 + VAT
In person*3
Full coverage of the enrollment fee for the most outstanding candidatesTeaching modules & Workshops
Public Green Spaces
Designing urban naturePublic lighting
Light design between safety and perceptionFlow design
The relational dynamic between solids and voidsArchetypes and toponyms
The city and its placesCase history
Successful public space projectsProxemics
Perception, neurobiology and dimensional relations in public spaceParticipatory architecture
The citizen as actor in the transformation of spacePublic space in history
From the classical city to the contemporary cityUrban resilience
The city in times of the pandemic and climate changeLudic architecture
The dimension of play in public spaceUrban signage
The dimension of communication in architectureArt and public space
The dimension of public artGuerrilla Design
Public space as a field of research and social transformationSite Visits
Bologna
Augusta Seaport
Porto
Special lectures and critiques
Collective space and architecture of memory: monument to the victims of the 2017 fires in Pedrógão Grande
Colours and movement: from the Rimini waterfront to the Santa Caterina Market
Public parks from disused urban areas: High-line & The Tide
Copenhagen Harbor Bath: floating public space
Castelfondo: the dimension of public space in small villages
Public space and iconic architecture
Piscina das Marés: public architecture in communication with the landscape
Public Roof: Oslo Opera House
Cities as playgrounds: colours and shapes in the age of social media
Unconventional common spaces: The Vessel & Little Island
From military archaeology to collective treasure
Design workshop
Patrick Lüth & Martina Maier / Snøhetta
The workshop will focus on the redevelopment of the former Augusta seaport, an archaeology of military architecture that is among the most iconic and evocative on the international scene. Overlooking the sea in a naturalistic area of great value, the great hangar of Augusta is a giant of an era long gone, with colossal iron gates that, during the First World War, hid the legendary airships. Unused for decades, the large hangar has been surrounded by a dense vegetation of palm and eucalyptus trees that have invaded the surrounding buildings, defining a unique scenario, now the domain of wildlife. Given the scale, permeability and uniqueness of the property, the seaplane is suitable for major public functions - a place for sports, events, art, shows and performances - defining the ideal context for a thematic study on public space. Through the workshop, architects will thus have the opportunity to challenge themselves in an extremely precious context, interweaving the planning of public space with social and environmental issues and the re-signification of modern architectural heritage.
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 application fee (€60 + VAT). The best 20 candidates will be admitted to the course according to the rules.
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 application fee (€60 + VAT) 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.
Brochure IT
Brochure EN
Download the 2023/24 internships report
Find out all the statistics and placement methodology for the year 2023/24: 39% of students entered Pritzker studios.
Partners
To each one of them, many thanks from YACademy staff and students.