The study programme in Architecture and Urban Design lives and is fed by the experience of the project at different scales, from the architectural scale to the urban one, with both their theoretical and operative aspects, always within the context of the city.
The range of interests that have in common the centrality of the project and the intervention on the physical environment revolve mainly around the architectural and urban design, the landscape design and the enhancement of the architectural heritage.
The study programme comes to life in Milan, the most groundbreaking and ever-changing city in Italy, but it also travels virtually all around the world exploring other cultures and cities, always looking for new architectural stimulus and inspiration. This programme truly has an international spirit, because not only one of the tracks is taught in English and is attended by students from over 30 countries, but also it takes on the challenges typical of other cities all around the globe.
The programme merges different points of view with a typically Italian approach, thanks to teachers with an international experience, like Kazuyo Sejima, Stefano Boeri and Visiting Professors who offer different insights on their experiences in the contemporary city.
Objectives
The outcomes that characterize the study programme in Architecture and Urban Design are:
1.-An ability to understand the phenomena and solve the complex problems of the architecture of the city;
2.- An ability to know, select and apply the theoretical-scientific aspects, together with the methodological and operational tools;
3.- An ability to formulate experimental hypothesis and pilot studies for the transformation of the physical environment, in continuity with the physiological evolution of the city.
Research and teaching
The personal attitudes of the students are central to the course programme. Innovative educational paths are organized to the improve individual skills and to learn new ones, in order to build the foundations of a future professional career that is remarkable and successful on the job market. In addition to a tested offer, some thematic characterizations of the studios, related to the research of the department, enhance the relationship between the educational and research activities.
The new approach of the Thematic Research Seminars stimulates the ideation of a suggestion for an individual study topic and the definition of a reference work programme for the elaboration of a Degree Thesis. In addition, the Thesis Seminars, organized by clusters of experts on specific topics together with groups of students, become a place for discussion and experimentation to support the Degree Thesis.
Perspectives
This two-year experience strengthens the essential aspects of polytechnic culture, in which the project defines the knowledge addressed to the transformation of the spaces of the city.
The 2019 employment data confirmed that 85% of the graduates in Architecture and Urban Design at Politecnico di Milano find a job in the architectural planning field within the year, the 11% of the Italian graduates go abroad and the 40% of the international graduates decide to stay and work in Italy.
