Fabio Sedia.

For me, architectural design is a way of knowing the world and imagining its transformation. Adaptive reuse of the built environment is at the heart of my work: understanding places, recognising their qualities and exploring their capacity to accommodate new uses and new ways of dwelling. From urban design to interior space, I consider what already exists as material for design, holding resources, constraints and possibilities.

As an architect and assistant professor at the École d’architecture of Université Laval, I develop a practice that brings together design, research, teaching and artistic creation. My career has taken shape between Italy, Spain and Québec. With a “Europaeus” doctorate in architectural and urban composition, and training at the University of Palermo and the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid, I also hold a postgraduate specialisation in the history of architectural design from Roma Tre University.

My research focuses on the transformation of buildings and urban ensembles, particularly those of the twentieth century. In Québec, I study expressions of modernity and the possibilities for reusing this heritage, especially for housing. Adapting a building to new uses calls for reflection on its spaces, structure, materiality and relationships with the city. Archival research, measured surveys, critical redrawing and experimentation through design help reveal its underlying logic and assess what can be preserved, reinterpreted or transformed. Reuse, restoration and recycling thus contribute to a shared inquiry into the future of the built environment.

I teach from the first years of undergraduate study through to the master’s and doctoral levels. From spatial and creative exploration to the definition of a transformation project and the formulation of a research inquiry, my teaching connects observation, imagination and precision. Drawing, model-making and working with materials enable students to question existing situations, experiment with their transformation and develop an independent perspective.

My professional practice extends from urban design to interiors, landscape and exhibition spaces. My experience at the Villa Adriana and Villa d’Este Institute, where I notably directed the historic garden of Villa d’Este, deepened my attention to the relationships between architecture, memory and use. Drawing and artistic creation extend this approach, exploring forms, colours and narratives that renew our perception of places.