Brief
It is one of the oldest construction materials, absolute protagonist of well-known architectural traditions, and a technology which has proved capable of keeping a unique expressive energy over the centuries.
The first human settlements were made of wood, just as the first Greek temple, the first Chinese pagodas, and the trusses of the great gothic cathedrals. Wood is one of the protagonists of architecture and, even if recent technological progress used to prioritize other research directions, today, environmental problems put wood centre stage in the debate and attracts the attention of architects.
Wood is a renewable, natural, low carbon-footprint resource; it's a healthy material, esthetically pleasant, capable of giving a cozy, human touch to any architecture. Today more than ever, architects need to go back to wood, to know how to use it to design and construct.
The reason why the Wood Architecture course started is precisely this: training architects who are capable of using wood to make sustainable architecture, with a great visual impact, which represents the renovated balance between human needs and nature.
Studying the wood production process, the various essences, and the characteristics of a material which is all but inert, which is in fact alive and constantly evolving, designers will learn techniques and composition of wood architecture, during a course that is made up of 80 hours of seminars, 32 hours of workshops, and many interventions of renowned professionals.
At the end of the course, the Yacademy placement office will provide all students with the opportunity to work as interns/collaborators in one of our partner firms.
Scientific curators: Mauro Frate and Alessandro Cecchini
Course info
15 In person
5 Online
Bologna
2.6.2025 - 8.8.2025
3 days/weekSeptember 2025 - November 2025
2,900 € + VAT
Online9,700 € + VAT *
In person3
Full coverage of the enrollment fee for the most outstanding candidatesTeaching modules & Workshops
Wood, re-use and social responsibility
Recycling wood as a business tool and as a way to compensate carbon emissionsThe use of wood as structural material
Features, performance and specificity of wood in structuresHistory and evolution of wood architecture
History and evolution of wood architecture Historical analysis and case studiesWood between research and innovation
New applications and new trends for wooden architectureEngineering the wood project
From the project to the construction siteDesigning with wood
Approach and methods of designing with woodWood as a sustainable solution 1
Advantages and environmental impact of wooden constructionsWood as a sustainable solution 2
Analisi quantitativa del beneficio ambientale delle tecnologie costruttive in legnoWood and vernacular architecture
Studying tradition as the basis for innovationMixing wood with other materials
The combination of different construction technologiesThe forest-wood chain
From the seed to the construction siteSite Visits
Cesare Roversi Arredamenti
Naturalia Bau
Iceland
Special lectures and critiques
Yoshino: wood and traditional Japanese wood species
Architecture in a journey: Camp Adventure Forest Tower
Scandinavian DNA: Refugium Feinvaer
Sculpting with wood: Reindeer Pavillion
City on water: timber buildings and climate change
Iconic architecture and relationship with the landscape: Greenland Visitor Centre
Japanese imagery and esthetics: Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum
Playful design: timber between tecnology and irony
Art, architecture, and thought: thinking with wood
Icelandic visitor center
Design workshop
Dagur Eggertsson / Rintala Eggertsson Architects
The workshop will be an opportunity for practical synthesis through which to test all the notions that will be made available during the other teaching modules, ensuring strategic answers to a real design project. The workshop, conducted in collaboration with the Norwegian studio Rintala Eggertsson, will look at the design of a visitor centre for the magnificent Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon in southern Iceland. As one of the last natural sanctuaries on the planet, and an area where one can still experience virtually pristine nature, Iceland is, with good reason, among the most popular destinations of modern times. In spite of its complex accessibility and extreme climate, millions of visitors visit the island every year to experience its geological and nature. In this sense, Iceland's landscape is one of the country's most sensitive and strategic assets. On the one hand, it is necessary to ensure that the nation's iconic sites - such as the Canyon of Fjaðrárgljúfur - are open to visitors, while on the other, the values of nature and geology need to be preserved, as they are the very core of the country's charm and appeal. In this sense, the use of light and wood architecture is one of the most effective and used solutions to make the Icelandic landscape accessible to the wider public, without compromising those features that are at the core of its popularity and success. Here, among glaciers and breathtaking fjords, among black deserts and lush canyons, the students will have the opportunity to work in uncontaminated nature, using of one of the oldest and most natural building materials available in order to create architectural solutions which are able to create a magnificent dialogue with their surroundings, interpreting them in a contemporary language, without sacrificing the primordial vibe - the most precious characteristic of the island.
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 administration fee (60€ + VAT). The best 20 candidates will be admitted to the course according to the rules.
The administration fee payment does not bind the student to purchase the course.
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 administration fee (73,20€) 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.
Course Brochure
English
Brochure Corso
Italiano
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.