The last 100 years witnessed a strong technological impulse. Artificiality, high-tech, has been opposed as an absolute and unquestioned synonymous with progress.
The world of design has been no exception, turning strongly toward polymers, man-made fibers and strong technological experimentation, at a very high price in terms of environmental sustainability and endangerment of natural ecosystems.
In a world that is rapidly racing toward 9 billion in population and whose environmental demands have become imperative, we need new paradigms and the ability to rethink everyday objects in a more sustainable and forward-looking way.
This is why the course in Wood Design was created, with the goal of training a new generation of designers capable of rethinking the contemporary through the use of sustainable materials - first and foremost, wood - to help build a future of well-being and harmony between man and nature.
Through the understanding of the characteristics of timber in its various essences, and the study of the most up-to-date techniques of its processing and modeling, designers will acquire expertise in the design of objects, furniture and accessories of high value on an aesthetic and functional level, capable of becoming at the same time icons of creativity and environmental sustainability. The course will consist of 80 hours of frontal teaching, 32 hours of workshops and numerous contributions by renowned professionals.
At the end of the training course, YACademy placement office will guarantee each student an internship/collaboration proposal within the partner studios.
Course info
15 In person
5 Online
Bologna
17.3.2025 - 23.5.2025
3 days/weekJune 2025 - September 2025
€ 2,900 + VAT
Online7.900 + VAT
In person3
Full coverage of the enrollment fee for the most outstanding candidatesTeaching modules & Workshops
Timber and humankind
Nature, supply chain and communityDesigning wood
Good practices of wood designWorking with wood
Techniques, tools and safety standards for woodworkingLifecycle and circularity
Environmental, social and communication values of the design projectEnergy certifications and carbon neutrality
Tools and methods of sustainable designWood and parametric design
Timber meets digitalRudiments of universal design
Ergonomics and low-tech as principles of accessible designWood under the microscope
Characteristics and workability of wooden materialSpecies and essences
Wood types and characteristicsWood design thinking
Rethinking everyday objects through woodDesign product industrialization
From prototype to mass productionSite Visits
Lumber mill of the Magnifica Comunità di Fiemme
Cesare Roversi Arredamenti
Partner Companies
Special lectures and critiques
The “Byobu” series: between wood and art
Danish tradition: timber and architecture
Biosphere: Pop Bird Houses
From Louis Vuitton to Moma: research, curiosity and dedication
Wood and Made in italy
Timber and nautical design
Elegance, rigor and lightness
30 years of wood design
Born to be natural
Design workshop
Nicholas Bewick / AMDL CIRCLE
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 Oasy Hotel and WWF, will look at the design of a collection of carbon positive wood furniture, imagined for the exclusive concept of accommodation of Oasy Hotel. Immersed in a wild nature, among endless forests, still home to the wolf and the deer rather than the human being, Oasy Hotel is not only one of the most exclusive destinations of the Tuscan Apennines, but a real format oriented to bring an environmentally-responsible luxury hospitality in natural contexts of immeasurable value. In this sense, the designers will be called to imagine the furniture collections that hotel users could find in each structure of the chain, defining a fil rouge in the name of design and sustainability capable of accompanying experiences of immersion in a sovereign and uncontaminated nature. In the 1000-hectares park, among gourmet restaurants, lodges overlooking breathtaking landscapes and swimming lakes, students will be able to measure their creativity with in a sensitive and privileged context, capable of becoming inspiration and context for the affirmation of iconic pieces that can write the history of contemporary design.
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 have 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
Rules
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
Partners
To each one of them, many thanks from YACademy staff and students.