Editions

Abstract

The Workshop takes place every year from beginning August to half October, having for objective the planning of social housing in cities of developing countries with high urban growth.
The group of participants is composed by five students of a faculty from the country of the studied city and five students from the Accademia di Architettura of Mendrisio, Switzerland. The students work under the guide of the responsible of the Workshop and an assistant of the Accademia.
The group elaborates low cost housing projects located in an area of the city already destined to this aim. The program of the contents, the techniques of construction and the tipologies considered are included in the projects as in a concrete feasibility context. Because of these reasons, the program and the project site are chosen in collaboration with the involved institutions (government, university, private sector).
During the course some specialists take part in order to have lessons on specific arguments and to participate in the intermediate and final critics of the projects. The first two weeks are carried out at the partner university and are dedicated to the preparation of the design phase, which has place in Mendrisio in the following weeks. The results of the course are exposed first at the Accademia and then at the partner university or city.
The activities of the Workshop are part of the international cooperation for the aid of development.

1 house = 1 house
1000 houses = 1 city

Objectives

Contribute to the improvement of architectonic and urbanistic qualities on social housing of the studied city. Favor the knowledge transfer between local institutions (government, university, privat sector). Promote cultural exchange between students from different realities, confronting them with concretes subjects and real society needs.

Direction

Martino Pedrozzi
Zurich, 1971.
Lecturer at the Academy of architecture of Mendrisio, Switzerland. He graduated at the Federal Polytechnic of Lausanne in 1996. Since 1997 he has an architectural practice in Lugano. After his studies he has been assistant of professors Alberto Campo Baeza, Valerio Olgiati and Kenneth Frampton.
In 1999 he worked two months in Rio de Janeiro with Oscar Niemeyer and met in Montevideo the engineer Eladio Dieste. In 1999 and in 2006 his work obtained a distinction at the third and the fourth editions of the International Award for New Alpine Architecture, organised by “Sexten Kultur”.
Since 2003 he leads the Workshop on International Social Housing (WISH): the Summer School programme of the Mendrisio Academy. He gave public lectures about his work at the Mendrisio Academy; at the “Universidad National de Tucumán”, Argentina; at the “Universidad Autonoma de Baja California” in Mexicali, Mexico; at the Nanjing University, China; and at Wits University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Assistance

Andrea Nardi
Architect, achieved the bachelor degree at the Politecnico of Milan in 2006; he graduated cum laude at the Academy of Architecture of Mendrisio, Switzerland in 2010 with a thesis project fallowed by Valerio Olgiati.
In 2009, he received the first prize in G.C.C. competition, with a restoration and reuse project for an Ex Casa Balilla of Luigi Moretti in Trecate.
He worked for Antonio Citterio and Partners Studio and collaborated with various Swiss and Italian Architects.

since 2011

Assistance (past)

Otto Krausbeck

until 2010

Credits

7.5 ECTS (european exchange university credits)
320 hours of design studio
20 hours of conferences

Contact

WISH
Accademia d’architetura di Mendrisio
Largo Bernasconi 2
6850–Mendrisio
Switzerland

T +41(0)58 666 5000
F +41(0)58 666 5868
wish.arc@usi.ch