Retail and production

A sealed envelope with two alternative practical-exam themes (Section A). THEME 1 — a multi-storey mixed craft/residential building in a building-completion zone (CE4.6) of a ~5,000-inhabitant town in the Turin plain: 48×28 m lot, plot area 1,344 sqm, floor-area index 0.25, 2 floors above ground plus a basement, eaves height 7.50 m, coverage 30%, 25% permeable area; permitted uses: residence for at least 60% of the gross floor area, residence-serving craft activities on the ground floor only up to 40% of the gross floor area, garages, cellars and stores in the basement. THEME 2 — an office building of representative character (offices for a metal-carpentry business, keeping the existing industrial shed in the south of the lot) in a reorganization/completion zone (IR1.3): plot area 10,000 sqm, office gross floor area max 35% of the productive gross floor area, 3 floors above ground plus a basement, eaves height 10.50 m, 40% coverage, 25% permeability. Both themes require the planning verifications supporting the design and, in the report, identifying the intervention type and the required building permit under the Consolidated Building Act, plus developing one of a cost estimate, the design and verification of a structural element, or energy choices for sustainability.

An envelope with three alternative six-hour design themes and a linked first written test (technical report on design and construction choices). THEME I — a three-storey retail building on a roughly 7 m wide residual urban lot between two existing buildings of different heights (10 m and 4 m); accessibility for people with motor disabilities is explicitly required. THEME II — adaptive reuse: on a suburban lot of about 37 × 28 m with three existing concrete structures, design three temporary dwellings with shared spaces (kitchen and living, about 110 sqm total) reusing the existing volume and adding a solar greenhouse, with new volumes in brick and/or reinforced concrete and external works. THEME III — an urban-planning theme: an implementation district of Pescara's master plan (territorial index 1.00 cum/sqm, additional social-housing volume, max height 16.80 m), with road widenings, a new road link and continuous sustainable mobility (cycle paths) between public facilities; required outputs include a 1:1000 project plan, a 1:500 urban section and typological/aggregation schemes of the building types.

A sealed envelope with two alternative practical-exam themes (Section A, 2019). THEME A — the reuse of a building originally of mixed agricultural and residential use in a mountain historic centre: on the ground floor a large stable and the kitchen with a pantry, both under barrel vaults, and the everyday rooms; the attic, reached by an internal hatch and an external stair, holds a hayloft and an added room. The candidate must design its reuse for contemporary uses, with spaces that are not overly compartmentalised and an informal use, engaging with the historic structure (the vaults, the connections) and the historic-centre context. THEME B — a product-image centre, i.e. the corporate outlet of a confectionery industry, to be built at the company site, in a semi-rural area of Friuli along a busy, highly visible regional road: a minimum 10 m setback from the road edge, a maximum height of 10 m above ground, with the option to build against the plant (for blind walls). The new building, linked to the plant and reachable from the existing guest car park, spans one or more floors for about 400/500 sqm of gross area, with a direct-sales area (no warehouse) and a space for meetings, seminars and exhibitions. Deliverables: a 1:500 location plan, 1:100 plans, main 1:100 elevations and sections, a construction and facade detail, and possible concept sketches.

A sealed envelope with three alternative practical-exam themes (Section A), each with its linked written test (a report on formal, dimensional and technological choices and construction criteria). THEME 1 — a coastal observatory: a small building on elevated points along the coast for navigation, boating, fishing and naturalistic watch (2-3 operators per shift, possible overnight stay, a 120° visual horizon), in high-value windy landscapes: the most compact surface and volume possible, natural ventilation, solar-radiation protection, photovoltaic power, minimal external services, resistance to saline climate and wind load (+800/−500 N/sqm), thermal insulation (ref. −5°C/+20°C) — with the constraint that the site may be unreachable by construction machinery, driving techniques and materials. THEME 2 — a settlement of 10 “growing houses” on assigned 9×18 m lots: incremental dwellings from 36 gross sqm up to 108 sqm (36×3) with a programmed-growth system in max 3 phases (one or two storeys), for young couples with growing needs, cohousing allowed; an unspecified Mediterranean coastal context, 3 m between blind fronts and 6 m between windowed fronts, minimum heights 2.70 m (services 2.40 m). THEME 3 — the regeneration of piazza Roma in Pinerolo (about 3,110 sqm, a 38×83 m rectangle), the town's historic market square: replace the existing steel canopy with a new structure hosting about 40 stalls of 4×2.15 m and opening the square — fully pedestrian yet accessible to service and emergency vehicles — to other uses, giving value to the roof's upper face seen from the tall surrounding buildings and favouring low-maintenance materials.

A sealed envelope with three alternative practical-exam themes (Section A), each with its linked first written test. THEME 1 — the residential reuse of a top-floor dwelling in a six-storey building: a volume already covered by an amnesty, a reinforced-concrete structure with no static issues but decayed perimeter walls; a new layout for a two-level dwelling, with a report on criteria, materials, energy-saving technologies and the permit procedure. THEME 2 — a retail complex sized to the attached table, separating the food retail volume from the others, with dedicated pedestrian and vehicle access, outline sizing and the organization of open spaces (greenery and parking); a report on distributive sizing, accessibility and architectural barriers, escape routes and the authorization procedure. THEME 3 — a housing building in the urban fabric of Imperia, on a lot with a flat central part and a steeply sloping raised part held by an existing retaining wall, with two vehicular entrances: no more than three storeys (ground floor possibly non-residential with plant rooms, cellars and covered parking), three dwelling types of which one barrier-free, a mixed roof — pitched and walkable flat; the report justifies typology, structural system, energy efficiency and barrier-free solutions.

A sealed envelope with three alternative practical-exam themes (Section A, November 2013 session), each with existing-state drawings and a short written report. THEME 1 — in the urban centre of a western-Ligurian town, a public detailed plan sets an organic intervention unit on a lot of about 1,000 sqm: design a building with retail on the ground floor and housing above (usable area up to 1,700 sqm, eaves height no higher than the existing building on via Fiume), after demolishing the internal buildings, with given alignments, the public use of the pedestrian areas, a public portico and an inner garden-square, basement parking at the legal minimum, compliance with energy saving and barrier-free rules, and the use of passive heating and renewables. THEME 2 — a new building for a small food market with an attached bar/café, on a flat lot facing a pedestrian square in the Po valley: eaves height 9 m, maximum gross buildable area 950 sqm, with an accessibility check. THEME 3 — a small brewery in Genoa's historic centre, in a former harbour warehouse within a building listed under the Cultural Heritage and Landscape Code (Legislative Decree 42/2004): arrange the production cycle (possibly on view), the tasting and serving spaces, a light refreshment service and the toilets, with a mezzanine of at most 140 sqm, working on a room of thick stone walls, pillars and vaults, without ground insulation or systems, and creating a boiler room reached directly from outside. Deliverables: a 1:200/1:100 building design with an arranged site plan, dimensioned plans, elevations and sections, a 1:50/1:20 construction detail, a 1:20 bathroom plan and an accessibility check.

A sealed envelope with three alternative practical-exam themes (Section A, November session), each with its linked first written test. THEME 1 — on an elongated peripheral lot along a secondary street (54×20 m), an in-line residential building with a ground floor usable for retail and tertiary activities: depth no more than 13 m, eaves height no more than 13.50 m, at least 12 dwellings, two entrances with their stairs per group of flats, a pavement on the street and a possible rear pedestrian path; the written test asks for the structural sizing of some parts. THEME 2 — on a 120×60 m lot at the crossing of two neighbourhood streets, a small neighbourhood culture centre of about 900 sqm covered: entrance hall with info point, an events space of at least 150 sqm, a large library reading room, two offices, a screening room and internet corner, media consultation, storage and plant rooms, toilets and an automated café; an outdoor area with a rack for at least 20 bikes, five disabled parking spaces, a garden, a paved open-air reading area, a portico and a roof terrace accessible to all; the written test asks for an approximate bill of quantities. THEME 3 — on a large peripheral lot of about 15,000 sqm between three streets, a layout of collective functions and public greenery: at least 70% holds a sports centre, fenced and 50% covered with wide-span structures (hall, info and public services with a café ≥80 sqm, two pairs of changing rooms, two five-a-side pitches and a covered multi-purpose court or a gym), with greenery and pedestrian routes, taxi and bus stops, a cycle path, disabled parking and car parking; the written test asks for the sizing of the main structural system. Shared deliverables: general site plans and details at progressive scales (from 1:5000/1:2000 to 1:500), a 1:200 project extract with plans, sections and elevations, technological details and three-dimensional drawings. Transparency note: the university does not publish the exam texts; this sheet is reconstructed from a preparation archive (source below), with the usual editorial summary.

A practical-exam track for the Junior Architect (Section B): on a rectangular lot with a 30 m front on the main street and a 40 m depth, design a house-workshop combining a dwelling and a work space sized for varied activities (creative, artisan, productive). The dwelling, about 120 sqm over two levels, has on the ground floor an entrance, living-dining room, kitchen, WC and storeroom, and on the first floor two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The workshop, functionally linked to the duplex, is at least 60 sqm with a height twice that of the residential floor, with a possible mezzanine and internal double height, and holds the work space, a small office and toilets. The candidate must state the structural grid and handle the relationship between the residential and productive parts. Deliverables: a 1:200 site plan with the external green layout and the minimum parking; 1:100 plans of the two levels with the structural grid; a significant 1:100 longitudinal section through the internal stair; two 1:100 elevations; possible construction details, freehand allowed. Transparency note: the university does not publish the exam texts; this sheet is reconstructed from a preparation archive (source below), with the usual editorial summary.

A practical-exam track (Section A, May session): design an in-line residential building, maximum height 13.50 m, on a flat 60×80 m lot facing south onto a provincial road. The context drives the choices: to the east it borders a residential building set ten metres from the boundary, to the west an open area with tennis courts, to the north a public park. At least six flats sized between 120 and 150 sqm covered are required; the ground floor must hold retail units and the layout of the open areas with at least eight parking spaces for owners and guests, plus parking adequate to the number of retail units designed. The candidate must state the structural scheme and handle the relationship between housing, retail and open space. Deliverables: a 1:500 site-volume plan; ground-floor and typical-floor plans with the structural scheme, at least one section through the stair and two elevations 1:100; an optional furnished typical-cell study 1:50; an optional construction detail 1:20; perspective or axonometric sketches are encouraged to clarify the idea. Transparency note: the university does not publish the exam texts; this sheet is reconstructed from a preparation archive (source below), with the usual editorial summary.