The state exam at Napoli Federico II

The practical exam of the first 2009 session (Section A): an unusual, demanding envelope — the commission chose to set, as themes, several architecture competitions actually held in Italy, asking the candidate to depict a real setting for the proposal, with preparatory sketches, overall and detail site plans, plans, elevations, sections and three-dimensional views. For the old system (single 8-hour graphic test) the three themes are: a polyvalent building supporting the town hall in the hamlet of Degioz at Valsavarenche (a hall for the local association and the library, services, minimal environmental impact, a tight budget); the new Carabinieri barracks at Manerbio (ground-floor offices, upper-floor guest quarters, basement parking, about 1,500 cubic metres above ground); and the “Ponte Pigneto” ideas competition in Rome for a 30×5 m pedestrian and cycle bridge as a district landmark, with integrated lighting and photovoltaic/wind technologies. For the 4S category (first 6-hour practical test) the three themes are: an office building serving a sorting and composting plant, based on eco-sustainable building and energy efficiency (about 2,000 cubic metres, max height 12 m); the Oristano intermodal passenger centre and interchange station (up to 10,000–20,000 sqm, with assigned indices); and “SAIE Selection”, sustainable low-cost, low-energy housing with aggregation potential. The second written test asks for the report justifying the structural and settlement sizing. 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.

The practical exam of 26/06/2008 (Section A, old system, 8 hours): three alternative themes, each developed with preparatory sketches, plans, elevations, sections and details at suitable scales. THEME 1 — on a flat area 75 m up, on a cliff over the sea, a church of 200 usable sqm with a 60 sqm sacristy (WC, parlour) and a bell tower, plus a pilgrim house of about 80 sqm (meeting room, refreshments, toilets, assistance), joined by an open-air churchyard; masonry or reinforced-concrete structures, roofs in RC, steel or glulam, with possible outdoor spaces for open-air rites. THEME 2 — the landscaping of an enlarged neighbourhood park: resolve the link between the existing park and the new area, separated by a 10 m level change (altering or removing the retaining wall), create equipped greenery with an open-air theatre for about 200 seats screened from the street, a green area for pedestrian access and a car park, specifying paving, trees and fencing. THEME 3 — in an existing district, on a 20×30 m site surrounded by streets, a residential service (civic centre) with a 150-200 seat multipurpose hall (assemblies, conferences, screenings, theatre, exhibitions, library and newspaper room), an office for social services, a group meeting room, a soundproofed music room, a lobby and rest area, services and a heating plant, stating the main planning indices. Deliverables per theme: from the 1:500/1:200 site plan to 1:100 plans, elevations and sections, with construction details and a statement of structures and materials. 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.

The practical exam of the first 2007 session (Section A, old system, 8 hours): a single strong theme — starting from the debate on the multi-ethnic city and the “places and spaces of dialogue” among the three monotheistic religions, the commission asks for design ideas able to combine cultural differences and convergences. THEME 1 — a new architecture conceived as a synthesis of interfaith dialogue, placed in a site chosen and described by the candidate through preliminary sketches: a hall space of no more than 600 sqm covered within an enclosure of no more than 2,400 sqm, with functional, formal and structural solutions that heighten its symbolic representativeness. THEME 2 — the recovery of a rural building (drawings provided) as a place of interfaith dialogue, with functions allocated across the covered areas and an external layout consistent with the theme. THEME 3 — a new neighbourhood for 500 inhabitants as a response to multi-ethnic and multi-religious needs, sited in an urban-territorial context chosen by the candidate: positioning and sizing of roads and facilities per D.M. 1444/68, with indications on the neighbourhood's morphology and on the type of residential buildings. Deliverables: preliminary sketches describing the area, plans, elevations and sections at suitable scales, showing the architectural and urban elements that define the space. 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.