From architectural talent to professional opportunity: build your career in architecture with Yacademy

You just graduated in architecture, and you don’t know what to do next?

Many young architects struggle to find their way after university. What they often lack in the classroom is opportunities to test their abilities, work with experienced professionals, develop meaningful projects, and build relationships within the international architectural community.

Yacademy was created to offer young talented designers the opportunity to grow in an increasingly challenging field, with lectures, design workshops, site visits, portfolio mentoring, and professional placement  – all this in collaboration with some of the greatest interpreters of contemporary architecture.

A direct route into leading architectural firms: Yacademy’s placement

One of the most distinctive elements of Yacademy’s programs is its placement, which grants each student a proposal of collaboration with one of the renowned architectural practices in the school’s network.

The placement process is based on the student’s interests, skills, and professional profile, with the aim of identifying the most suitable opportunity for each participant. Over the past two years, 84% of eligible students accepted the first proposal presented by Yacademy, while more than 70 began collaborations with firms led by Pritzker Prize-winning architects.

For the 2026/2027 academic year, the school has established new collaboration agreements with internationally renowned practices including BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, David Chipperfield Architects, SANAA, Snøhetta, Kengo Kuma & Associates, Aires Mateus, and Benedetta Tagliabue – EMBT Architects.

This means that students do not merely receive an opportunity to start their career after the 10 weeks of classes, but that they are allowed to access a preferential channel to enter some of the most influential professional environments in contemporary architecture.

Real projects, real clients, real challenges: Yacademy design workshops

At the heart of every Yacademy program is a design workshop developed around a real architectural challenge.

Students work together with their peer classmates, who come from all over the world. With students and faculty from over 70 different countries, Yacademy strongly supports an international approach to education. Each student and lecturer brings a unique background, and this diversity becomes a source of reflection and enrichment for a learning community united by a shared interest in architecture.

Therefore, working in teams means learning to coordinate different ideas, cultural perspectives, and design approaches, finding in diversity and dialogue a resource rather than an obstacle. 

For the 2026/2027 educational offer, students will have the opportunity to collaborate with internationally acclaimed architects, who will follow the development of the design proposal through multiple review sessions, and to present their architectural project to illustrious clients: 

• Architecture for Exhibition – design workshop tutored by Herzog & de Meuron in collaboration with the Peggy Guggenheim Collection
• Off-site Technologies for Architecture (a project by Manni) – design workshop tutored by ZHA Architects in collaboration with AIPAI
• Earth Architecture (a project by wienerberger) – design workshop tutored by Benedetta Tagliabue – EMBT Architects 
• AI for Urban Regeneration (a project by Unipol | Urban Up) – design workshop tutored by Carlo Ratti Associati

Thus, the design workshop translates into an occasion to fill the gap left by university theory, connecting students with the reality of the architectural practice: a real design challenge, a real client for whom to find sensible solutions, and a real team to work with day by day on the development of a unique design idea. 

Building through relationships: Yacademy’s network

There is no checklist for building a solid career in architecture. Many factors can contribute, and every story is different.

However, relationships are important, and sometimes, they can even determine one’s future.

Yacademy brings students into direct contact with some of the most relevant architects and practices on the international scene. To do so, the format includes a series of activities – design reviews, Q&A sessions, and moments of informal discussions – aimed at reducing the distance between students and lecturers and allowing a more authentic connection with the professionals.

Among the firms that will join Yacademy’s panel of lecturers in the near future are Herzog & de Meuron, ZHA Architects, SANAA, David Chipperfield Architects, Foster + Partners, Morphosis, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, and Snøhetta.

The aim is to create a network that helps students shape the career they wish, giving them relevant insights into the architect’s profession and generating inspiration, collaborations, and professional opportunities.

A portfolio supported by evidence: reviewing your portfolio with Yacademy

All architects have to confront themselves with the creation of their own portfolio at a certain point. And many struggle to find a way to showcase their work and potential at best.

Through Yacademy, students can add a substantial project to their portfolio, as it is developed under the guidance of a renowned architectural practice, based on a real design case, and in collaboration with an international team.

But the importance Yacademy reserves for the students’ architectural portfolio reaches far beyond providing real evidence to include in its pages. Throughout the course, students can meet Yacademy’s Art Director for a one-to-one live portfolio review focused on the selection, organisation, and presentation of their work.

The objective is to help each participant build a clearer and more convincing professional profile. The same opportunity is available to applicants who have already completed the application process for one of Yacademy’s courses.

Start your professional path with Yacademy

Yacademy’s post-graduate high-level training courses are designed for young architects who want to turn their potential into visible, demonstrable experience and to boost their career with a top-level program of which the most important architects in the world are key actors.

In a few months, students can develop a real project, work alongside internationally renowned architects, become part of a global network, strengthen their portfolio, and receive a proposal for collaboration with a leading practice.

This is why Yacademy is the best choice for talented young designers who wish to take their career one step further: it shores up your weak areas, providing what is actually relevant in the job market and helping you build a network of young peers coming from all corners of the world and to connect with the most distinguished architects in the international scene.

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