Can academic projects explore new directions and contribute to public discourse on global and local issues? The 2024 Politecnico di Torino Students Award aimed to address these questions, showcasing how architectural research, training, and experimentation can be integrated into a school curriculum.
Politecnico di Torino is ranked among the top 10 architecture schools in Europe (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 - Architecture and Built Environment). With over 3,000 students, the Department of Architecture and Design offers a Bachelor's degree in Architecture and three Master's programs—Architecture for Sustainability, Architecture Construction City, and Architecture for Heritage—all featuring dedicated English tracks. The Department offers also two Bachelor's and one Master's programmes in Design.
The project selection process featured insights from Peggy Deamer (Yale University), Simona Della Rocca (BDR bureau, emerging finalist EU Mies Award 2022), Michele Bonino, Roberto Giordano and Daniele Campobenedetto. All awarded projects, along with a curated selection of works from the Department courses and studios, are available on the departmental platform Telearchitettura.
Award Winners
Discrete Blockbau Architecture by Matteo Deval
How can the traditional blockbau method be reinterpreted in the era of digital innovation? The patented LokAlp system leverages digital fabrication, augmented reality, and generative design to create versatile architecture designed for reuse. Utilizing universal wooden blocks without specific functions, LokAlp enables spatial reversibility, showcasing how reusing components in a circular economy is not only feasible but advantageous.
Buzescu-A Manifesto for the Rromani Vernacular by Maria-Cristina Trifan
Rromani architecture, a distinct and often controversial style associated with Romania's Rromani community, has faced criticism for perceived lack of planning and aesthetic coherence. As one of Europe's largest minorities, the Rroma people contend with enduring stereotypes and the effects of implicit bias. This work examines Rromani architecture as a potential new vernacular, investigating how informal architectural practices, heritage, traditions, and community values reflect the Rroma identity and foster a unique architectural language that remains largely misunderstood by the broader public.
Continuous Lagoon. Transformation strategy for a power plant in the delta landscape by Camilla Bocchieri and Greta Bonini
This project explores the intricate land-water dynamics of Italy's Po Delta, centering on the Porto Tolle Thermal Power Plant. It reimagines the territory's transition from industrial use to conservation and enhancement, redefining human-nature relationships. Through multi-scale analysis, the project examines global trends alongside local realities, proposing flexible architectural and urban planning solutions to enable sustainable coexistence between land and water. Laguna Continua serves as both a landscape project and a strategic manifesto, revitalizing the abandoned industrial heritage, advancing environmental preservation methods, and fostering a deeper human connection with nature in response to climate change.
Evolutionary housing for post-war reconstruction in Ukraine by Anna Dziurych and Darya Zhukouskaya
In the wake of the 2022 Russian invasion, Ukraine's post-war reconstruction involves not only rebuilding infrastructure but also addressing profound social and environmental challenges. This project explores the impacts of the conflict, various reconstruction strategies, regional climates, family structures, and local materials, proposing a systematic framework to support resilient housing solutions. By empowering affected individuals to design and construct their own homes, the project emphasizes affordability, flexibility, energy efficiency, durability, and adaptability to diverse family needs. It also prioritizes community development as a means of crisis recovery, aiming for practical, sustainable housing that honors Ukraine's cultural heritage.
Ruined soils: dark ecologies and hypotheses for coexistence in Mexico City by Nicole Ciaccia
The ongoing environmental crisis has transformed our perception of urban soils, introducing new ecological frameworks. This project uses the concept of the Critical Zone to explore soil as a realm of "dark ecologies." Mexico City's valley serves as a laboratory for examining these dynamics due to its complex geomorphology: the expansion of built land and the contraction of lacustrine soils have led to severe subsidence. By studying these "ruined soils" along the edges of informal settlements, fractures emerge as opaque, underutilized spaces. This research reimagines these interstitial zones as potential fracture-infrastructures, supporting diverse, coexisting ecologies.
Honorable Mentions
In-Between. Bridging Earth to the Moon with the Architectural Project by Mariapia Mammino
This project delves into space architecture, concentrating on the design of a lunar settlement and its unique design process. It aims to establish a methodological framework that can guide future architectural projects within lunar environments. Moving from a broad view of space architecture, the thesis focuses on specific processes for lunar settlements, ultimately culminating in architectural design. The work is structured as an exploratory journey, bridging technical and engineering requirements with the socio-cultural dimensions intrinsic to architectural projects.
Rethinking Iran's Rural School Buildings by Farshad Sadeghi
Since the late 19th century, Iran has undergone significant social transformations, creating a need for educational reform. However, despite modernization efforts, constraints have often prioritized ideology over children's developmental needs. This has resulted in poor educational quality, inadequate facilities, and pronounced urban-rural disparities. With limited government resources, philanthropists have contributed to improving rural education access, yet dropout rates remain high. This study examines key historical events shaping Iran's education system, focusing on Sistan & Baluchestan Province. The project proposes a new school design tailored to rural needs, aiming to enhance learning environments and address construction limitations through local and charitable partnerships.
Unearthing the colonial military past of Santa Marta: The urban renovation around the Fortress of San Fernando in Santa Marta, Colombia by Frank Alexander Ramírez Gaitán
This urban project proposal seeks to preserve the remaining traces of Santa Marta's colonial military fortresses, focusing specifically on the Fortress of San Fernando. The thesis examines the historical significance of the fortress and the challenges it faces due to urban expansion. By analyzing fortification projects in Finland, Germany, and Colombia, it develops strategies tailored for Santa Marta. Key considerations include accessibility, community identity, and landscape connectivity, aiming to strike a balance between urban growth and heritage conservation. The ultimate goal is to create a cultural and natural transition zone around the fortress to ensure its preservation and enhance its significance within the urban fabric.
Mediating resistance: examining critical regionalism(s) in the Arab World through the Aga Khan award for architecture by Ayman Hassanen
This study investigates the evolution and impact of critical regionalism alongside the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) on the architectural culture of the Arab world. As the influence of modernism declined, critical regionalism emerged as a response to the perceived homogenization of global architecture, while the AKAA sought to foreground discussions around 'authentic' built identities within postcolonial contexts. This work explores how these frameworks have shaped Arab architecture's engagement with modernity, tradition, and identity. Through historiographical analysis, the study elucidates the intersections and divergences between critical regionalism and the AKAA, assessing their relevance and potential in addressing the pressing architectural challenges of our time.
