Brief
Technology is the tool with which architecture is made.
Whether one is a technician or an architect, one needs deep knowledge - the former - and a solid understanding of the tools that make every project possible - the latter.
Like all human phenomena, technology evolves according to trends and advances with a common understanding of environmental, economic, and social events.
In this regard, off-site is one of the undisputed leaders in modern construction technology, proving to be among the most effective methods of creating quality low-environmental-impact architecture.
In a world where the demand for architecture is growing exponentially - despite the urgency to reduce the anthropogenic load on the environment and ecosystem - off-site is one of the most viable alternatives to meet the current needs of the world's population without jeopardising the future of the planet.
This is why the course in "Off-site Technologies for Architecture" was created, to turn technicians and architects into experts in the latest trends in off-site construction technology and thus able to offer tangible solutions for a better and more sustainable future.
Thanks to their expertise in a modern culture of technology, designers will become valuable professionals in any design process, learning tools to shape their projects and becoming part of a trend marked by major investments by the world's major players.
Through the experience of Manni Group and the help of some of the most authoritative voices in the field (as engineering companies and researchers), designers will delve into the most up-to-date technical and composition possibilities in a program comprising 84 hours of classes, workshops, and visits, 32 hours of workshop, numerous lectures by renowned professionals and at least 2 months of placement at the illustrious partner firms.
Course info
15 In person
5 Online
Bologna
24.11.2025 - 20.2.2026
3 days/weekMarch 2026 - May 2026
€ 2,900 + VAT
Online€ 7,900 + VAT
In person+3
Full coverage of the enrollment fee for the most outstanding candidatesTeaching modules & Workshops
History of modern engineering
Evolution in construction technologyThe executive design
Characteristics and challenges of the final stage of the designOff-site technologies
Challenges and opportunitiesThe building site
Processes and methods of production of the architectural workMaterial types
Wood, steel and concrete: correspondence between technology and projectSustainability & carbon neutrality
Calculation and mitigation of construction industry impactOff-site and seismic
Performance characteristics of steel architecturesAntarctic
Challenges and characteristics of the white continentDesign parameterization
Creativity and first industrialization of the projectBIM beginner
Essential design methodologies and toolsOff-site cityscape
Off-site as a tool for urban regenerationSite Visits
Verona, Manni production plants
Bozen, EURAC Research
CNR Venice - National Research Council
Special lectures and critiques
Research and New Tech for sustainability
Production of complexity: from parametrics to the construction site
Tech in high-rise buildings
Sustainable research and technology
BIG's construction sites
Architectural scenarios in the USA
Innovation vs industrialisation
Off-site systems and branded architecture
The future of the cities: big data and technological innovation
The future as reinterpretation of past techniques
Off-site and extreme climates
Design workshop
Nicola Scaranaro / Foster + Partners
The workshop is conducted in collaboration with the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (National Research Council) and will deal with the study of an international research station to be placed in the Antarctic context. Free of any political boundary or national relevance, the ice continent is one of the most unfriendly and fascinating places on the planet, where nature speaks with different violence and intensity than anywhere else. Here, besides the resilient local fauna, the only inhabitants are international research groups, involved in the study of the most diverse physical and natural phenomena thanks to the availability of information - retained by ice - relating to the most ancient and remote history of the planet. In view of the unavailability of any material resource and extreme climatic conditions, the Antarctic continent is a privileged context to test the possibilities of the off-site method to its highest capacity. This is to be intended as a high-performance technology produced in the factory and then reassembled on the construction site. Through the workshop, students will have the possibility to structure modular and aggregative solutions that might generate complex architectural phenomena through the progressive juxtaposition of basic modules designed for the rigours of the Antarctic continent, which should nonetheless serve as experiences to be extended to mountain, low-resource, or even emergency contexts.
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.
Past editions gallery
Partners
To each one of them, many thanks from YACademy staff and students.