Some approach architecture as a field of research, others focus on the regeneration of places and communities; some explore new ways of living, while others develop their architectural language through materiality, memory and landscape. In recent years, a new generation of practices has emerged, helping to redefine the landscape of contemporary Italian architecture through thoughtful, …
Some approach architecture as a field of research, others focus on the regeneration of places and communities; some explore new ways of living, while others develop their architectural language through materiality, memory and landscape.
In recent years, a new generation of practices has emerged, helping to redefine the landscape of contemporary Italian architecture through thoughtful, sensitive and often multidisciplinary approaches. These are young studios, or practices that are still relatively unknown to a wider audience, yet they have already distinguished themselves through the quality of their work, awards and a clearly defined architectural vision.
To create this selection, we reviewed dozens of practices, analysing projects, awards, competitions, publications and professional trajectories. The result is a collection of 50 emerging architecture studios in Italy that, according to the Archi&Interiors editorial team, deserve to be discovered and followed.
This is not a ranking, but an editorial selection spanning the whole of Italy, from North to South and from major cities to smaller towns, presenting a new generation of architects and designers who are helping to shape the future of Italian architecture.
1. AMAA – Collaborative Architecture Office for Research and Development
With offices in Venice and Arzignano, in the province of Vicenza, AMAA was founded in 2012 by architects Marcello Galiotto and Alessandra Rampazzo. Alongside its professional practice, the studio pursues an ongoing programme of research and has developed an architectural language capable of bringing existing structures, materiality and contemporary transformation into dialogue. We selected AMAA for the quality of its approach to adaptive reuse and for a design research practice that continues to evolve without becoming confined to a repetitive stylistic formula.
2. Studio Wok
Studio Wok is based in Milan and was founded in 2012 by Marcello Bondavalli, Nicola Brenna and Carlo Alberto Tagliabue. Its work spans architecture, interior design, landscape and residential design, with particular attention to the relationship between spaces, materials and context. We selected the studio for the distinctive identity it has developed while maintaining a measured, essential approach closely connected to the quality of everyday life.
3. AM3 Architetti Associati
Founded in Palermo in 2011, AM3 brings together architects Marco Alesi, Cristina Calì and Alberto Cusumano. The studio works across architectural design, landscape, public space and restoration, with a portfolio spanning public, institutional and private projects. It is a practice to watch for its ability to engage with Sicily without resorting to folkloric interpretations, instead addressing landscape, existing architecture and the civic dimension of the profession.
4. Atelier Remoto
Atelier Remoto was founded in 2014 by architects Valentina Merz and Lara Monacelli Bani and works between Italy and Switzerland, with a presence connected to Trento and Bergamo. Its practice encompasses public and private architecture, restoration, interiors and research, often developed through collaborations with professionals from different disciplines. We included Atelier Remoto for its sensitive and unconventional approach, which expands architecture beyond the purely physical act of building.
5. ECÒL
ECÒL is an architecture and research practice founded in 2015 and led by architects Emanuele Barili and Olivia Gori. Based in Italy, the studio has developed numerous projects and initiatives centred on public space, participation and the creation of new forms of collective infrastructure. We selected ECÒL because it uses architecture not simply to produce forms, but to activate relationships, behaviours and alternative ways of inhabiting space.
6. LEMONOT
LEMONOT is a practice founded by architects and educators Sabrina Morreale and Lorenzo Perri, working between London and Italy. Their work crosses architecture, spatial and relational practices, performance, film and exhibition design. We selected LEMONOT for the interdisciplinary nature of its research and for its ability to explore design beyond the traditional boundaries of architecture.
7. Openfabric
Openfabric was founded in 2011 by architect Francesco Garofalo and operates between Milan and Rotterdam. The studio specialises in landscape architecture, urbanism and environmental strategies, developing projects that address issues such as climate resilience, public space and urban transformation. We selected Openfabric because it represents a contemporary approach to design in which architecture, ecology and infrastructure interact within an integrated vision. It is an international practice that continues to explore new tools for imagining the cities of the future.
8. LASCIAlaSCIA Architecture
LASCIAlaSCIA is a Milan-based studio founded by architects Carola Davì, Laura Berni, Silvia Pilotti, Chiara Sangalli and Valentina Crepaldi. Alongside its design practice, it operates a coworking and discussion space open to professionals and creatives. We selected the studio for its collaborative approach and for its ability to turn architecture into a tool for relationships, exchange and shared experience.
9. Collettivo ctrl+S
Collettivo ctrl+S brings together architects educated at the Politecnico di Milano and originating from different Italian and international cities. The group consists of Luciana Di Marzo, Rebecca Felline, Monica Galeotti, Giovanni Garrisi, Paola Ghiano, Francesca Girolami, Francesco Hamard, Marco Iembo, Laura Ingargiola and Francesca Lauretta; its official website does not clearly state the year in which the collective was founded. It is a practice worth watching for the genuinely collective nature of its work and for projects developed through competitions, research, shared housing and territorial transformation.
10. OPPS Architettura
OPPS is based in Florence and was established in 2015 through the collaboration of Tuscan architects Filippo Pecorai, Francesco Polci and Antonio Salvi; since 2021, the associated practice has been led by Polci and Salvi. Its work spans competitions, public and private commissions, research and the transformation of existing buildings. We included OPPS for an approach to architecture that begins with the everyday scale and apparently marginal places, identifying design opportunities within the overlooked layers of the city and its existing fabric.
11. Sardarch
Sardarch is based in Cagliari and is a cooperative design and research practice developed through the work of architects Nicolò Fenu and Matteo Lecis Cocco-Ortu. It operates across architecture, urbanism and participatory planning, investigating transformations in urban and rural territories through the direct involvement of local communities. We selected Sardarch for a vision of design deeply rooted in contemporary Sardinia and capable of combining research, public space and social value.
12. OPUS Atelier
OPUS Atelier was founded in Milan in 2019 by architects Maura Pinto and Piervito Pirulli. The studio works across architecture and interior design, with research focused on materiality, proportion and the creation of atmosphere. It is included in our selection for its ability to develop a recognisable architectural language without relying on decorative solutions or predetermined formulas. Although still a young practice, it is already sufficiently established to reveal a clear design direction.
13. AFSa
AFSa is a Florence-based studio founded in 2017 by Antonio Acocella, Alessandro Falaschi and Pietro Seghi and currently led by Acocella and Seghi. Its practice spans architecture, interiors and landscape through an essential language shaped by the dialogue between tradition, formal abstraction and material research. We included AFSa for its ability to reinterpret Italian architectural culture without imitating it, translating that heritage into rigorous yet never austere contemporary spaces.
14. Belfanti+Malacarne
Belfanti+Malacarne is a practice based in Dosolo, in the province of Mantua, founded in 2019 by architects Riccardo Belfanti and Marco Malacarne. Its work encompasses architecture, interiors, renovation and public projects, with research grounded in compositional clarity and the reduction of elements to their essentials. We selected the studio because it is developing a distinctive identity from peripheral and rural territories, demonstrating that architectural quality does not depend on proximity to major urban centres.
15. Grazzini Tonazzini
Grazzini Tonazzini is an architecture atelier founded by Michele Grazzini and Andrea Tonazzini, originating in the Apuan Alps and now based in Rome. The studio works on public and private projects, cultural spaces, residential architecture, places of memory and installations, collaborating on several projects with architect Giorgia Colombo. It is a practice to follow for the way it combines sensitivity to landscape, symbolic dimensions and experimentation, as demonstrated by its winning proposal Quintessenza for the MAXXI NXT programme.
16. ORTUS
ORTUS was founded in Basel in 2022 by architects Paolo Catrambone and Maria Ave Romani and has been based in Milan since 2023, working between Italy and Switzerland. The studio also operates as a research platform and approaches design at different scales, from architecture and landscape to territorial transformation. We selected ORTUS because it represents a generation accustomed to moving between professional practice, research and teaching, with particular attention to reuse and the resources that already exist within a place.
17. facchinelli daboit saviane
The studio was founded in 2019 by architects Gianluca Facchinelli, Celeste Da Boit and Giada Saviane and operates between Belluno and Trento. Its research focuses particularly on public, educational and Alpine architecture, engaging with mountain landscapes through built projects, competitions and interventions on existing heritage. We included the practice for its ability to work within fragile territories without reducing them to scenery, as demonstrated by the secondary school in Puos d’Alpago, completed in 2024.
18. Emanuele Scaramellini Architetto
Emanuele Scaramellini, born in 1992, runs his practice in Chiavenna, in the province of Sondrio, following his studies at the Politecnico di Milano and professional experience at Mario Bellini’s studio. The exact date on which the practice was established is not clearly stated in the sources consulted. We selected Scaramellini for research deeply connected to the Alpine landscape and the restoration of rural architecture, recognised in 2024 with the Young Talent of Italian Architecture Award for Casa a Lottano.
19. OKS Architetti
OKS Architetti is based in Florence and was founded in 2014 by architects Eugenio Salvetti and Luca Scollo. The studio works across architecture, urbanism and design, combining professional practice with research into languages and methodologies capable of responding to contemporary transformations. We selected OKS for the consistency with which it participates in competitions and develops proposals across different scales, from individual buildings to the city.
20. homu
homu is an Italian architecture practice founded and led by architects Lucia Zamponi and Filippo Nanni, based in the Marche region and focused primarily on public buildings, schools, museums, libraries and cultural spaces. Before establishing their practice, the founders gained experience with major international studios including SANAA, Sou Fujimoto, OMA and Dominique Perrault; the exact year of foundation is not stated in the official profile consulted. We included homu because it translates international experience into tangible work across Italian territories, with particular attention to public commissions and educational spaces.
21. Balance Architettura
Balance Architettura was founded in 2011 in Turin by architects Alberto Lessan and Jacopo Bracco and also operates through a division based in Cuneo. The studio works across architecture, workplace design, exhibition design and urban transformation, engaging with different scales and contexts. We selected Balance Architettura for its ability to combine design research with built work, an approach also recognised by the Young Talent of Italian Architecture Award 2022.
22. Analogique
Analogique was founded in Sicily in 2015 by Claudia Cosentino, Dario Felice and Antonio Rizzo and is based in Catania. The practice works across architecture, urban design, landscape, furniture design and curatorial activity. We selected Analogique for its ability to explore new forms of living by starting from the resources, constraints and transformations of each place, without separating theoretical research from professional practice.
23. ALVA architetti
ALVA architetti is a studio founded in Palermo in 2020 by Ignazio Alongi, Renato Lo Presti and Veronica Angela Valenti. It works on residential architecture and public spaces, developing research based on spatial order, geometric proportion and direct engagement with materials and craftsmanship. We included ALVA because it interprets minimalism through a distinctly Mediterranean sensibility, creating an essential yet never impersonal architectural language.
24. IN-NOVA STUDIO
IN-NOVA STUDIO was founded in 2016 in Santa Maria La Nova, in the historic centre of Naples, by architects Marcello Ferrara, Martina Russo and Riccardo Teo. After gaining experience at international practices, the three founders chose to return to their city to engage directly with its architectural heritage, urban landscape and the needs of contemporary living. We selected the studio for an approach capable of bringing sustainability, memory and transformation together without treating the historic context as something static or untouchable.
25. Archistart Studio
Archistart Studio is a multidisciplinary group of architects, engineers and designers founded in 2015, with offices in Lecce and Milan. The founders named by the practice are Giacomo Potì, Lucio Risi, Tommaso Santoro Cayro and Davide Tartaglia, supported by a wider team of professionals. We selected Archistart for its work on urban regeneration and its ability to develop projects through collaborative processes, with particular attention to the identity and potential of each place.
26. LERUA
LERUA is an architecture, landscape and urban planning practice founded in 2017 by Fabiana Ledda and Paolo Russo, based in Sassari. Its research focuses primarily on the contemporary city, public space and the social role that architecture and landscape can play within different cultural contexts. It is a practice to watch for its ability to address public and territorial projects in Sardinia through a strong theoretical framework and close attention to relationships between communities and places.
27. PROFFERLO Architecture
PROFFERLO Architecture is a practice founded in 2018 and active between Bari, Porto and London, comprising Fabiana Dicuonzo, Fabio Cappello, Giuseppe Resta and Marta Marotta. The group works across architecture, research, installations and artistic practices, often engaging with abandoned spaces and territories undergoing transformation. We selected PROFFERLO for its contemporary reading of the Mediterranean, developed away from stereotypes through projects, actions and spatial devices. It is a practice to watch for its ability to combine theoretical research with tangible interventions.
28. VIRAR Architettura
VIRAR Architettura was founded in 2020 by architects Daniela Nappo and Daniel Angel Gomez Rojas and is based in Rome, with projects also developed in Campania. The practice works across architecture, urban planning and interior design, viewing the transformation of existing spaces as an opportunity to restore value to places and improve the way they are experienced. We selected VIRAR because it places people at the centre of the design process and interprets well-being not only as a quality of buildings, but also as a quality of urban and collective space.
29. RigonSimonetti
RigonSimonetti was founded in Vicenza in 2019 by architects Francesco Rigon and Margherita Simonetti. The studio works across architecture, interiors and restoration, focusing particularly on the transformation of existing buildings and the relationship between old and new. We included RigonSimonetti for the restraint with which it approaches design, avoiding forced contrasts and allowing materials, proportions and structure to reveal the evolution of each space. Its completed projects already display a clear sensibility while remaining open to further development.
30. Associates Architecture
Associates Architecture is an architecture and research studio founded in Brescia in 2017 by architects Nicolò Galeazzi and Martina Salvaneschi. The practice works across different scales, developing each project through a careful reading of its physical and cultural context and through research that connects architecture, materiality and the memory of places. We selected the studio for a body of work that has already been recognised in major international contexts, from the Venice Architecture Biennale to the Triennale Milano, and for a practice capable of balancing experimentation with construction. Associates Architecture is one of the Italian studios of its generation to have reached a particularly interesting level of architectural maturity.
31. SET Architects
SET Architects was founded in Rome in 2015 by architects Onorato di Manno and Andrea Tanci and today operates between Rome and London. The studio develops architecture, urban design and design projects alongside research and teaching activities. We included SET Architects for an essential architectural language shaped by archetypal forms and a rigorous synthesis of complex programmes, already recognised through awards and competitions dedicated to a new generation of Italian architecture.
32. Ballabio & Bava
Ballabio & Bava is an architecture and design studio founded in Milan in 2022 by Fabrizio Ballabio and Alessandro Bava, following their education at the Architectural Association in London and the experimentation developed through the åyr collective. The practice works across architecture, interiors, installations and contemporary culture, maintaining a particularly close relationship with the art world. It is a studio to watch for the way it approaches domestic space and its representations through an informed, ironic perspective that resists conventional professional categories.
33. Baka Studio Architecture
Baka Studio Architecture is an independent design and research practice based in Milan, founded by architect and researcher Giorgio Castellano. The official sources consulted do not clearly state the year in which the practice was established. Its work brings architecture, technology and the environment into dialogue, informed by Castellano’s international experience at practices including Sou Fujimoto Architects, MAD Architects and Studio Fuksas. We included Baka Studio because its research treats sustainability not simply as a technical requirement, but as an integral part of the architectural project.
34. BDR bureau
BDR bureau is a Turin-based studio founded by architects Alberto Bottero and Simona Della Rocca. The practice works from the architectural to the urban scale, focusing particularly on adaptive reuse, the transformation of existing buildings and spaces dedicated to living, working and education. We included BDR bureau for its ability to interpret existing buildings and contexts as open structures capable of accommodating new uses, as demonstrated by the transformation of the Enrico Fermi School in Turin, a finalist for the 2022 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award. In 2019, BDR bureau also received the Young Talent of Italian Architecture Award, confirming a trajectory that combines research, competitions and built architecture.
35. Piovenefabi
Piovenefabi was founded in 2012 by architects Ambra Fabi and Giovanni Piovene and works between Milan and Brussels. The studio moves across architecture, urban research, territorial visions and public-space design without establishing rigid hierarchies between scales or project types. We included Piovenefabi for its ability to translate theoretical research into devices, environments and architecture designed for both individual and collective experience, with a consistent focus on reuse and context.
36. STUDIOSPAZIO
STUDIOSPAZIO was founded in 2014 by architects Eugenio and Samuele Squassabia and is now based in Mantua, following an initial period of activity in Zurich. The studio develops public and private projects across architecture, the transformation of existing buildings and typological research. We included it for the ability to shape each project around available resources, construction systems and the specific conditions of its setting. The result is architecture that is rigorous without ever becoming abstract or detached from the reality in which it operates.
37. ArchiW
ArchiW is a studio founded in 2022, with offices in Matera and Osimo, established by architects Antonio Mastria, Stefano Signorelli, Angelo Ancarola and Luigi Simone. The practice works across architecture, urban regeneration, environmental design and the restoration of existing buildings, developing projects in both public and private contexts. We included ArchiW because it represents a new generation of professionals capable of combining multidisciplinary expertise with close attention to local territories. It is a young practice to watch for its ability to work across different scales and fields while maintaining a coherent, context-sensitive design approach.
38. LADO architetti
LADO architetti was founded in Bologna in 2013 by architect Luca Ladinetti. The studio’s official profile also includes architect Anna Branzanti, who joined the professional practice after gaining experience in Italy, Belgium and the United States. Working across architecture and landscape, the studio develops each intervention through a careful reading of its context, seeking to respond to functional, economic and formal requirements through a limited number of essential gestures. We selected LADO for its practical and measured approach, in which form emerges as a consequence of the design process.
39. Supervoid
Supervoid was founded in Rome in 2016 by architects Benjamin Gallegos Gabilondo and Marco Provinciali; the studio is now also directed by Anna Livia Friel. Its practice spans buildings, interiors, exhibitions, furniture, public space and research, moving continuously between design and cultural production. We included Supervoid for an approach capable of questioning typologies, uses and conventions without losing a sense of practicality. Although already visible within the Italian architectural scene, it remains one of the most interesting practices to have emerged over the past decade.
40. Vitali Studio
Vitali Studio was founded in Milan in 2019 by Oliviero Vitali and Rocco Vitali. The studio operates at the intersection of architecture, art, installation and interior design, developing projects in which spaces, objects and images contribute to the same narrative construction. We included Vitali Studio because it represents a less conventional form of practice, capable of expanding the boundaries of architecture without dissolving it into a purely artistic operation. It remains a relatively under-the-radar name, but one with a sufficiently defined research direction to deserve attention.
41. T.A.R.I-Architects
T.A.R.I-Architects was founded in Rome in 2017 by architects Claudia Ricciardi and Marco Tanzilli. The studio develops architecture, research and urban regeneration projects, often working through collaborative and multidisciplinary processes. We selected T.A.R.I-Architects for its ability to address contemporary issues such as sustainability, inclusion and spatial transformation without compromising architectural quality. It is a young practice demonstrating how research and design can advance in the same direction.
42. WAR – Warehouse of Architecture and Research
WAR was founded in Rome in 2013 by architects Gabriele Corbo, Jacopo Costanzo and Valeria Guerrisi. Alongside architectural design, the studio develops an extensive programme of research, publishing and cultural production focused on cities, heritage and public space. We included WAR because it approaches architecture as a discipline capable of producing knowledge as well as buildings. It is a practice that makes a significant contribution to the contemporary architectural debate.
43. GRRIZ
GRRIZ was founded in 2015 by architects Luigi Greco and Mattia Paco Rizzi and operates between Bologna, Turin and Lyon. The studio develops architectural projects, installations and public spaces, with particular attention to environmental issues and the collective dimension of design. We selected GRRIZ for an experimental yet accessible architectural language capable of combining research and practicality. Its work interprets architecture as a means of creating relationships between people, places and landscapes.
44. (AB)NORMAL
(AB)NORMAL is a studio founded in 2017 between Milan and Rotterdam by architects Marcello Carpino, Mattia Inselvini, Davide Masserini and Luigi Savio. The practice works across architecture, design, exhibition design and research, experimenting with new ways of constructing contemporary space. We included (AB)NORMAL for its cross-disciplinary approach, capable of moving beyond the traditional boundaries of the profession without sacrificing design rigour. It is a young practice that treats every project as an opportunity for continued experimentation.
45. FONDAMENTA
FONDAMENTA was founded in Milan in 2016 by architects Francesca Gagliardi and Federico Rossi. The studio works across architecture, restoration and the transformation of existing buildings, with particular attention to materials, construction techniques and the relationship between buildings and their context. We included FONDAMENTA because each project begins with the specific characteristics of its setting rather than standardised solutions. Its coherent body of research continues to develop through carefully measured interventions and close attention to detail.
46. Puccio Collodoro Architetti
Puccio Collodoro Architetti was founded in 2018 by architects Gianluca Puccio and Andrea Collodoro and operates between Palermo and Gela. The studio develops architecture, interior design and renovation projects, with particular attention to light, materiality and the identity of places. We selected the practice for its ability to reinterpret the Sicilian context through an essential contemporary language. It is a young studio that is gradually establishing a distinctive architectural identity.
47. PlaC – Plateau Collaboratif
PlaC is an architecture practice founded in Turin in 2014, working across architectural design, the restoration of built heritage and territorial research. The studio approaches design as a shared process, bringing different areas of expertise into dialogue and developing solutions attentive to sustainability and spatial quality. We included PlaC for an approach that is rigorous while remaining open to exchange with different disciplines. Its work demonstrates how collaboration and research can translate into measured, contemporary architecture.
48. ABVM
ABVM was founded in 2018 by architect Bonaventura Visconti di Modrone and operates between Milan and Zurich. The studio develops architectural and interior design projects as well as socially focused initiatives, collaborating with NGOs and international organisations. We included ABVM because it interprets design as an instrument of civic responsibility as well as spatial quality. Its practice is capable of combining research, construction and attention to people.
49. Atelier Samuel Quagliotto
Atelier Samuel Quagliotto was founded in Rome in 2014 by architect Samuel Quagliotto. The studio works across architecture, interior design and research, developing residential and cultural projects as well as interventions on existing buildings. We selected the practice for an essential architectural language that enhances the relationship between materials, light and context. It is a young studio that approaches each project through a careful reading of the place and its potential.
50. VG13 Architects
VG13 Architects is an architecture practice led by Tommaso Fantini and Alberto Rossi, both born in 1992 and educated at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio. Based in Milan, the studio has completed projects in Italy, Switzerland and Morocco and combines professional practice with research and teaching. We selected VG13 for an idea of architecture that is essential without being reductive, developed through rigorous work on structure, proportion and space. Its participation in the 10 Architetture Italiane exhibition at Triennale Milano and the recognition received through architectural competitions reveal a practice that remains young but is already capable of engaging with very different scales and contexts while maintaining a clear design direction.
