Research Fields

UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS_RESEARCH AREAS AND LINES

The educational project, by integrating contributions from multiple disciplines, aims to study the relationships between environment, information, and users, and vice versa, the influence of cultural, social, and political contexts on design choices. The program presents itself as a virtual multi-scalar laboratory designed to foster transversal thinking.

The objectives of the ADD program focus on acquiring a proactive and critical perspective on the theme of contemporary design, in all its complexity, through cross-disciplinary scientific inputs and internationally-oriented theoretical and applied research.

The basic structure of the ADD PhD program is defined by a flexible framework based on four major thematic areas, characterized by an inter-scalar approach and overlap:

  1. New Urban and Territorial Strategies, Policies and Perspectives

    Focused on research addressing new scenarios and geographies, this area includes concepts such as multi-city (or multi-territory), smart city, resilient contexts, and advanced landscapes.

  2. Theory of Design

    This area focuses on building a new theoretical-critical basis for analysis, revolving around concepts such as cognitive taxonomy and a historical-holistic gaze.

  3. Strategies and Technologies for Sustainability and Systemic Design

    Dedicated to more operational approaches, this area investigates topics that combine technological, material, and productive innovation with ecological sensitivity, including heritage/innovage, environmental techniques and operational strategies, or interactive technologies.

  4. Visual Languages and Communication

    This area explores new domains of registration and expression, where concepts like digital infographics, n-mapping, or networked spaces are particularly relevant.

Each thematic area includes a set of research lines, forming a detailed thematic map:

  • Area 1: Urban restructuring, coastal development, urban recycling, public space, flexible planning. Keywords: multi-city, med.net coast & complex coast, re-citying, co-cities & t-cities, land-links, advanced landscapes, resilient contexts, new planning, new habitats.

  • Area 2: Theory, epistemology, taxonomy, historical interpretation. Keywords: cognitive sciences, advanced knowledge, contemporary criticism, design structures, epistemology.

  • Area 3: Industrial processes, eco-productive systems, environmental and digital technologies, interactive tools. Keywords: heritage/innovage, operational strategies, eco-matters & reactive matters, digital interfaces, active sustainability, social design.

  • Area 4: Network connectivity, new forms of (real and virtual) representation and simulation. Keywords: n-maps, multilayering records, network collectivities, real-time data, net.com, (ex)changes.

 

TWO SCHOLARSHIPS CO-FINANCED BY COMPANIES AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS_RESEARCH AREAS

1 SCHOLARSHIP (co-financed by ACPV Architects)

Research supervisor: Prof. Renata Morbiducci

Collaboration with: ACPV Architects

Title: Artificial Intelligence for Architecture: theories, models, and generation of technological solutions for buildings and the built environment.

The project explores the use of artificial intelligence in architecture through computational models based on Graph Machine Learning. Using graph-based structures, these models identify spatial and semantic relationships between construction components, acting as advanced digital tools to simulate the architectural and building process from design to realization.

The PhD aims to investigate recent theories, models, and solution generation, focusing on topological aspects (e.g., functional hierarchies, redundancies) to allow real-time verifications and produce design alternatives inspired by human reasoning, using AI algorithms and complex databases.

Company involvement:

ACPV will support the project with technical resources (workstations, servers, BIM databases, software catalogs and licenses), tools for topological analysis, and ongoing reviews. Regular check-ins with the “Digital & Design Technology” team will validate results and plan next phases.

During the company period, the research will include: graphical mapping of building components, BIM and parametric script integration, application of topological metrics, and quarterly reports with KPIs to support design decisions and iterative optimization.

Company research period objectives and methods:

The candidate will work closely with the hosting company, sharing intellectual contributions throughout the three years of the PhD.

Expected Skills of the Ideal Candidate

  • Familiarity with computer science and programming skills

  • Basic knowledge of statistics

  • Interest in: Computational design for architecture, Applications of artificial intelligence

  • Degree in Architecture or STEM disciplines.

 

1 SCHOLARSHIP (co-financed by ARTE Genova – Regional Agency for Housing)

Research supervisor: Prof. Massimiliano Giberti

Collaboration with: ARTE Genova

Title: Innovation in the management and design of public housing: digital models and international strategies for the enhancement of social housing assets

General objective:

The research project aims to define innovative tools for cataloguing, managing, and enhancing ARTE Genova’s housing stock (approx. 200 buildings), creating an updated and replicable integrated management model for public housing that meets evolving residential needs.

Specific objectives:

  1. Improve and revise the existing ARTE database through critical analysis and new data structuring.

  2. Develop an operational model for cataloguing and surveying buildings and units, integrating spatial, architectural, energy, and social data.

  3. Create digital decision-making tools for:

    • project enhancement;

    • access to national and EU funding;

    • optimizing space use based on user needs (families, elderly, single individuals, people with disabilities).

  4. Conduct an international review of best practices in social housing to:

    • define qualitative and quantitative evaluation parameters;

    • suggest updates to local practices.

Methodology:

  • Field analysis and mapping of ARTE assets

  • Database revision and interoperability

  • Prototype development using BIM, GIS, web-based platforms

  • Comparative case studies (Netherlands, Germany, France, Canada, Japan)

  • Guidelines and recommendations for ARTE and similar institutions

Activities:

  • Up to 12 months at ARTE Genova (can be non-continuous)

  • Participation in PhD activities (seminars, workshops, conferences)

  • Research stays at Italian/international institutions

  • Final dissertation summarizing results and operational proposals

Expected results:

  • Updated database for managing social housing

  • Replicable model for surveying and evaluating public buildings

  • Comparative international report with management indicators and strategies

  • Tools for planning and funding opportunities

  • High-value academic and practical outputs

Candidate profile:

  • Master’s degree in Architecture, Building Engineering-Architecture, Product Design, or related fields

  • Skills in surveying, representation, and digital modeling (BIM, GIS)

  • Interest in social housing and urban sustainability

  • Analytical and interdisciplinary research capabilities

 

SCHOLARSHIP CO-FINANCED BY DAD_RESEARCH AREAS

Research supervisor: Prof. Giampiero Lombardini

Collaboration with: City of Genoa

Title: Forms and processes of the contemporary urban condition: territorial morphologies in the bioregionalist approach

Research objectives:

The project investigates the global spread of urbanization, which increasingly encompasses formerly rural or natural areas, producing diverse and layered settlement forms. Through the lens of bioregionalism — especially the concept of the urban bioregion — the research explores potential new symbioses between nature and culture (environment and settlement).

The study, through morphological analysis and advanced research tools (complexity science, artificial intelligence), will explore and compare urban contexts, particularly Mediterranean coastal cities and conurbations.

Multidisciplinary approach:

Geography, urban planning, architecture, natural sciences, ecological economics.

Involvement of public bodies:

A continuous dialogue will be maintained with Italian and international entities, which will contribute to defining objectives, providing data, and supporting methodology and dissemination.

Research periods in external entities:

Targeted research themes may be developed directly with institutional partners, creating synergies between local governance and academic research. The aim is to strengthen tools for analysis, design, and evaluation to support urban governance.

Last update 9 June 2025