Supervisors: Associate Professor Suzie Attiwill (RMIT) and Prof. Annunziata Maria Oteri (POLIMI) and Prof. Maria Cristina Giambruno (POLIMI)
Project 1: The role of architectural exhibitions on contemporary architectural and design practice and discourse.
The research will investigate how the Venice Architecture Biennale (and/or other major architectural exhibitions although preference will be given to candidates examining past or upcoming exhibits within di Architettura di Venezia) impact contemporary architectural practices and discourses. The purpose of the qualitative study is to assess the impact of architectural exhibitions on contemporary architectural practice and discourses across field of architecture. These may include the discourses and changes to design practice in the development of awareness about architecture and Indigenous rights; the role of the architecture discourse on social equity; and sustainability.
Project 2: The relevance of traditional architectural exhibitions in a post-pandemic era
This qualitative research will investigate the impact that ‘traditional’ static architecture exhibitions on audiences, fragile settings, and heritage-rich cities. The candidate will examine the case study of the Venice Architecture Biennale to analyse how the pandemic impacted the Biennale and explore the tangible and intangible effects (on the setting, visitors and inhabitants). The research will examine and analyse the impact of the exhibition in the pre pandemic (potentially examining the impacts and influences on architects and architectural discourse and practice and whether the Venice Architecture Biennale and other traditional architecture exhibitions could take a different form in a postpandemic era.
Project 3: Mega-events: Opportunities and risks
Mega-events are ambulatory occasions of a fixed duration that attract (1) a large number of visitors, (2) have a large mediated reach, (3) come with large costs, and (4) have large impacts on the built environment and the population. The research aims at analysing how mega-events can foster local development without impacting fragile settings and historical environments. The research may analyse specific case-studies in Europe, Oceania or Australia and analyse how sites and architectures change due to mega-events and how planning and architecture may address issues of climate change, political, ethnic, social and environmental impacts presented by mega-events.
