The world’s historic sites are too often left behind, and reuse is a generational choice to preserve continuity and build sustainably.
SUMMER SCHOOL ON ARCHITECTURAL REUSE is an intensive course designed to train the next generation of architects to meet this challenge. The program offers a full immersion in adaptive reuse, architectural restoration, and sustainable design through lectures and critiques with international practitioners and university professors, an applied design studio, a public exhibition, and a book publication.
The course is open to students and graduates in architecture, interior design, design, landscape, and art. It is a multidisciplinary experience meant to provide a complete framework for a critical approach to adaptive reuse projects, from concept development to construction issues.
WHY REUSE BUILDINGS IN EUROPE TODAY?
Within the framework of a cultural partnership, we have involved some of Europe’s foremost organisations in the Summer School through interviews and written contributions. This dialogue allows us to gain a deeper understanding of the important work these exemplary organisations are undertaking in the field of adaptive reuse. Their cultural contribution helps shed light on the relevance of adaptive reuse today, its present challenges, and its future directions. Discover the work of European associations and organisations committed to the adaptive reuse of the built environment through their contributions and interviews.
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A SUMMER COURSE IN FLORENCE
Experience adaptive reuse through an immersive architecture programme in the heart of Florence. Engage in intensive learning, critical discussion and field-based activities, guided by world-class academics and leading practitioners. An opportunity to strengthen your portfolio and academic profile within a stimulating international environment.
WHEN
WHERE
WHO
WHAT
July 2027
Florence, Italy
Limited number upon selection
Learning adaptive reuse while developing a reactivation design proposal for an abandoned area, supported by the Municipality and local stakeholders
WHEN
July 2027
WHERE
Florence, Italy
WHO
participants selected through an application process
WHAT
learning adaptive reuse while developing a reactivation design proposal for an abandoned area, supported by the Municipality and local stakeholders
THE EXPERIENCE
LECTURES
The lecture series offers a comprehensive framework for adaptive reuse and architectural restoration, explored through a curated selection of themes and case-study projects. Delivered by distinguished professors alongside leading international firms, the sessions provide an authoritative overview of contemporary approaches to adaptive reuse and heritage conservation, bridging academic insight with professional practice.
DESIGN WORKSHOP
Following an on-site visit, participants working in teams will develop a concrete adaptive-reuse proposal in close collaboration with local partners. Guided by the teaching staff and supported by the lecturers’ expertise, the workshop will teach you how to translate site-specific analysis into a feasible design strategy, from concept definition to project development, including a mid-review of the ongoing projects.
PUBLIC EXHIBITION
As the concluding event of the Summer School, the final exhibition will showcase the projects developed by the participants and present them to the community. Organised in collaboration with local partners, the exhibition will offer citizens the opportunity to engage with the proposed visions for reuse, highlighting the outcomes of the workshop and the dialogue between education, design practice, and the public realm.
BOOK PUBLICATION
At the end of the Summer School, the experience will be documented in a dedicated book publication gathering the key outcomes of the program. The book will present the partners’ work as exemplary case studies and will also feature the projects developed during the Summer School, supported by drawings, diagrams, and visual narratives, together with a curated synthesis of the lecture series and the main themes addressed throughout the course.
WHY JOIN THIS SUMMER SCHOOL?
Learn from leading architects and scholars through lectures and critiques covering a wide range of topics in adaptive reuse
Work on a real case study in Florence and present your proposal to the local community
Get your work published in the final book
Meet participants from around the world and explore Florence in your free time
HEAR FROM OUR COMMUNITY
PREVIOUS EDITIONS
We already had six editions of the summer school, have a look at them:
