Exhibition

Doctoral Research at the Academy of Architecture, USI, Mendrisio

31 August – 4 September 2026
Tue – Fri, 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Opening 31 August 2026, 6:00 PM

Limonaia di Villa Saroli, 
Viale S. Franscini 9, Lugano

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Over the past 15 years, the Academy of Architecture, in Mendrisio has established itself as a centre of excellence for research. Its institutes and design professors supervise nearly thirty doctoral students, whose academic projects form a significant part of the Accademia’s research activities and address pressing questions in architecture and society.

This poster exhibition, initiated by the Accademy’s Doctoral School, highlights the work of doctoral researchers at USI Mendrisio, presenting architecture as a field of inquiry that extends beyond the production of buildings. The Doctoral School provides courses and seminars on research methodology, academic standards, and best practices, while fostering exchange, visibility, and stronger networks among young researchers.

Through diverse methods, materials, and forms of investigation, the 19 posters reveal themes shaping intellectual discourse at the school: complex urban spaces and environments, cultural heritage and its evolving interpretation, rituals and spatial appropriation, education and pedagogy in art and architecture, and ways of life. The Ticino region features prominently in several projects.

The exhibition makes visible how architectural knowledge is produced—through drawing and making, writing and observation, archival research and experimentation, speculation and situated practice.

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Opening 31 August 2026, 6:00 PM

Welcome address by Raphaël Parchet, Pro-Rector for Research, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI)

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