Mission of the Academy

Architects today are called on to develop innovative forms of competence to enable them to work on different fronts, from the design of individual buildings to planning regional development, from the reuse of the historical legacy to the redevelopment of the landscape, from eco-friendly buildings to aesthetic exercises applied to different architectural typologies. For this reason Mendrisio has created an interdisciplinary teaching model that goes beyond the traditional specializations so as to train architects who are both humanists and generalists as required by the times. Practical work in the design studios is combined with technical-scientific courses which explore contemporary problems and historical-humanistic courses which investigate historical, artistic, philosophical, critical and sociological issues. Its educational model ensures that the future architects acquire an architectural culture with an open, critical, relevant approach. As their studies progress they can choose ways to explore the approaches to architecture best suited to their individual sensibilities.