CAAD students attend design studio in Italy

Recently, the College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD) at American University of Sharjah (AUS) conducted a study tour entitled Design in Italy-Studio Abroad. The three-week studio, conducted by Professors Cristiano Luchetti and Massimo Imparato, between June 12 and July 4, 2014 in Macerata, Italy, included 13 students from various majors from CAAD. The program, now in its second edition, is organized in collaboration with University of Oregon A-HA program.

This year's course replicated the successful program last year. During the first week, Professor Luchetti's students had the opportunity to visit various companies such as Fiam and Simonetti and other destinations like Loreto, famous across the world for its architecture ranging from medieval to baroque, and Sirolo, a small fishing village nested in the amazing landscape of Monte Conero by the Adriatic coast in Macerata.

As the final component of the first week, the group traveled to Rome, Florence and Venice visiting main cultural attractions among which included the MAXXI Museum designed by Zaha Hadid. Also in Venice, students spent an entire day visiting the Biennale di Architettura.

The outcome of the trip was a journal that each student produced once back in Macerata. The journal was expressed through a series of different media depicting the students' creativity and originality.

In the second part of the course, a more focused design exercise engaged public spaces of the town. Professor Imparato lectured and directed the group during this part of the course. The program abroad again benefitted from close contact with a number of Italian colleagues in Macerata. The A-HA program director Filiberto Bracalente conducted an on-site visit around Macerata. Professor Paolo Bonvini and Professor Gianni Tecco (Universita' di Ancona) attended final reviews.

According to participating student Mayyasa Mukdad, "Seeing Rome, Florence and Venice from the perspective of a design student is way more interesting than a tourists' view. It was a wonderful experience with great professors and colleagues."

The AUS Office of International Exchange Programs assisted in the early organization of the trip and University of Oregon A-HA program administrators assisted with logistics in Italy.

Results from studio will be presented to the AUS campus and the broader community through an exhibition and reception in the CAAD Gallery in November 2014.