How can architecture respond to the human being’s need for meaning?
The course in Spiritual Architecture, a project by Yacademy and Almo Collegio Borromeo supported by FUM Academy, aims to train professional designers in generating places that are not only functional, but of psychological and spiritual wellbeing.
With this in mind, Yacademy envisioned an extensive program including special lectures, teaching modules, workshops, and visits focusing on diverse aspects of sacred architecture in various cultures and religions with an anthropological and multi-religious approach.
At the end of the course, students will acquire methodologies and knowledge to generate meditative and meaningful architecture in both sacred and non-religious spaces.
Such is the purpose of the course in Spiritual Architecture, an educational program meant for young designers and graduates who want to refine their architectural skills and sensitivity to respond to the psychological and spiritual needs of the human being.
Key Information
- 3 scholarships are available, each covering the entire enrollment fee.
- The classes will take place in Bologna, Italy, in a medieval building located in the historical city centre. However, online attendance is possible as well.
- The course will start in June 2026 and finish in August 2026, with a frequency of around 3 days per week.
- All modules and activities – lessons, special lectures, workshops, and visits – can be held in Italian or English. In any case, translation into English is always available.
- The application deadline is 13 March 2026.
Structure: Special Lectures, Workshop, and Placement
Special Lectures by Adjaye, Souto, Zermani
Yacademy’s mission is to bring young talented architects into contact with the greatest interpreters of contemporary architecture. With this purpose, the Spiritual Architecture educational program offers a series of special lectures held by the most renowned architects in the field of sacred architecture.
Thus, the course will feature David Adjaye as guest lecturer focusing on the Abrahamic Family House, a collection of three religious spaces – a mosque, a synagogue, and a church – sitting upon a secular visitor pavilion, designed as a community for inter-religious exchange and peaceful co-existence among different beliefs, nationalities, and cultures.
Another lecture with a slightly more general approach will be that by Paolo Zermani, which will focus on the light in sacred architecture. To better explore the topic, the lecture will examine five works in particular.
On the other hand, to address the question of renovation and preservation, Eduardo Souto de Moura will deal with the restoration interventions carried out on three Portuguese convents, to show how sacred architecture can live several lives and how design can contribute to its meaning and eternity.
Other moments will have José Tolentino de Mendonça, Giuseppe Zampieri from David Chipperfield Architects, Álvaro Siza, Tatiana Bilbao, Carla Juaçaba, Andrea Mastrovito, and Atelier Deshaus as protagonists. Some of the guest lecturers will also share their opinions about the projects students will be developing for the design workshop during the critique sessions.
Design Workshop: Creating a Space for Spirituality in an Evocative Marble Quarry
Yacademy’s Spiritual Architecture course aims at providing students with effective skills to respond to psychological needs in any context. The design workshop meets exactly this purpose, being a crucial step of Yacademy’s educational program.
The design workshop for the course in Spiritual Architecture is tutored by Giuseppe Zampieri, founder of the David Chipperfield Architects office in Milan, who boasts a year-long experience in the Pritzker-awarded practice working on several projects of international relevance. These include sacred environments as well, such as the San Michele cemetery in Venice and the Complex of Santa Chiara in Pisa.
The workshop, which is conducted in collaboration with FUM Academy from Franchi Umberto Marmi, will deal with the redevelopment of the Moon Quarry or Moon Hole in Carrara, imagining an architecture dedicated to contemporary spirituality, a place for reflection, connection, and silence. Watch the video to learn more!
The main objective of the workshop is to draw on sacred architecture to create an architecture that can turn stone into a poetic vehicle of light, measure, and transcendence, conveying emotion, memory and spirituality.
Divided into groups and tutored by the renowned architect, young designers will thus have the opportunity to enhance their personal and professional skills, refining their ability to work within a team on a real design challenge.
After the Course: Placement Opportunities
What do you do once the course is over?
Finding your own place in the labor market is one of the biggest challenges in architecture. To help Spiritual Architecture students unlock their career with a true job opportunity, Yacademy guarantees each designer a proposal of collaboration with one of its partner firms.
Some of the architectural practices with the greatest expertise in relation to sacred architecture are David Chipperfield Architects Milan, EMBT Miralles Tagliabue, COR Arquitectos, AMDL Circle.
Yacademy’s placement program includes a collaboration proposal that has a minimum duration of 2 months and guaranteed remuneration consistently with regulatory requirements.
The placement for the course will be activated between September and November 2026, after a thorough process. Yacademy’s placement office will take into consideration the preferences and inclinations of the students, so as to find the best possible match.
The collaboration is an opportunity for students to perfect their skills, work and interact with some of the world’s leading firms, and have a real chance to build a solid network useful for their future.
How to Apply: Admission and Scholarships
Do you think Yacademy’s Spiritual Architecture course might be the right key to unlock your potential as a designer?
Here are some hints on the application process and requirements:
- To ensure a high level of educational experience and immediate placement of students in the most distinguished professional settings, the students will be selected by a committee comprising partners from some of the world’s top firms. The admission to the course is based on the evaluation of the curriculum vitae, a motivational letter, and a portfolio.
- The course in Spiritual Architecture is addressed to students and graduates in Architectural Sciences or other equivalent titles. The Selection Committee may however admit students with different qualifications.
- By applying for the Spiritual Architecture course, you will automatically become eligible for one of the three scholarships covering the entire enrollment fee, consistently with the Selection Committee’s evaluation.
For more information and to apply, visit Yacademy!
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