Born in 1926 as the Higher School of Architecture of Venice, Iuav is today a small-sized university with a strong experimental vocation: the first among Italian universities to introduce design laboratories, its didactic model combines theoretical training in the humanities with laboratory work oriented towards making and experimentation, coordinated by architects, artists and designers.
Iuav remains a point of reference for Italian and international architectural and urban planning culture also thanks to its history that has seen the presence of great designers (Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Carlo Scarpa, Carlo Aymonino, Vittorio Gregotti, Aldo Rossi, Tadao Ando among others). But the specificity of the Iuav School has also established itself in the areas of Design, Fashion, Theater and the Arts with unique educational offerings in the national university scene in terms of teaching methodologies and placement levels.
Iuav inaugurated the first doctorate in design subjects in Italy and opened new strands of research and training: history of architecture, study of urban policies, restoration, design, artistic research in the fields of visual and performing arts and cinema.
With its research projects, Iuav has led the way in studies on sustainability, climate change and ecological transition, design for reconstruction in territories affected by wars or catastrophic events. Today the university stands as a center of innovative and anticipatory planning and research, in a city like Venice that is a laboratory of culture and a new model of urban sustainability.
Università Iuav di Venezia began as Venice’s school of architecture (the second in Italy, after Rome’s) and was established in December 1926 on the initiative of Giovanni Bordiga, president of the Academy of Fine Arts.
Among the first in Italy, it has promoted student housing interventions in Venice, Murano and Mestre.
Iuav University Foundation
Institution dedicated to students and scholars of architecture, based in the iconic Palazzina on the Grand Canal, an unfinished project by Frank Lloyd Wright completed by Carlo Scarpa.
Angelo Masieri Foundation
100
years of activity (1926 – 2026)
4873
enrolled in degree programs for the academic year 2024/2025, of which
3052
enrolled in bachelor's degree programs
1780
enrolled in master's/specialist degree programs
41
enrolled in degree programs of previous orders
475
outgoing students for Erasmus and ExtraErasmus, double degree
260
agreements with international universities
62
countries involved: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, South Korea, Cyprus, Croatia, Ecuador, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Japan, Jordan, Greece, India, Iraq, Ireland, Iceland, Israel, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Netherlands, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, Romania, Rwanda, Russia, Serbia, Syria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, United States, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vietnam
158
enrolled in master's and advanced courses, of which
78
enrolled in master's degree programs
73
enrolled in second-level master's degree programs
7
enrolled in advanced courses
48
professors of I fascia
92
professors of II fascia
5
researchers
23
fixed-term researchers
766
contract faculty and teaching aides
241
technical-administrative staff
8
areas of study
5
bachelor's degree programs
10
master's degree programs
1
five-years master’s degree program
8
master's degree I level
7
master's degree level II
4
advanced specialisation courses
2
partnership courses
1
graduate school
1
Department of Project cultures
8
labs
1
laboratory for education organized into 9 sections
11
research clusters
14
research unit
8
study centers
1
research infrastructure
69
research fellows
10
research contractors
1
phD in architecture, city and design divided into 9 areas of research
178
phD students
13
spin-off
10
locations
1
library
1
Project Archives
Having always been a point of reference for international architectural culture, Iuav today offers teaching and higher education in all disciplines united by the study of design, which is what defines and builds the quality of the spaces and environment in which we live: Architecture, Visual Arts, Design, Fashion, Urbanism and Planning, Theater and Performing Arts. Disciplines connected by dialogues and exchanges that make the educational environment of Iuavunparalleled in the panorama of Italian universities. The effective and innovative teaching method includes laboratory experiences and intensive workshops led by internationally renowned faculty and professionals. Numerous opportunities for apprenticeshipsat firms, companies and institutions are guaranteed, including as a substitute for the practical test provided by the State Examinations, and in anticipation of future professional activity. Iuav'seducational offerings include 5 bachelor's degree courses, 1 five-year single-cycle degree course, 10 master's degree courses, and numerous proposals for higher education: 20 master's degrees, 3 postgraduate courses, a School of Specialization in Architectural Heritage and Landscape, and a Doctorate in Architecture, City and Design.
Iuav research focuses on the most pressing issues of contemporary and public debate: from the climate crisis(rising waters, warming of the Planet, mass migration), to environmental and social sustainability (recycling, energy conservation, new poverty and inequality, new urban dimensions). It focuses on the areas of urban and territorial reconstruction following wars or catastrophic events, on heritage as it relates to conservation, restoration, landscape, identity; it explores the global dimension of tourism and its reflections on the distortion of historic centers.
Iuav research also concerns the Made in Italy in its cultural, economic, symbolic and political dimensions and is connected to the cultural and creative industriese for what concerns management, innovation and communication of tangible and intangible cultural heritage and design in the field of fashion design and the arts.
The fundamental structure for the conduct of university research is the department of Architecture and Arts.
A wealth of projects by leading figures in architecture, urbanism and planning, history and restoration, design, photography and graphics.
Project Archives
Iuav has the largest library dedicated to architecture and other design disciplines: over 200 thousand volumes, 4 thousand journals and 26 thousand dissertations on architecture, planning, design, arts, fashion.
Library
The Department is the home of Iuav research and teaching, one of 180 departments of excellence in Italian universities.
Department of Project cultures
Higher Center for Understanding, Anticipation and Applied Design Research, an anticipatory community in the context of ecological transition, resilience and security.
C.SCARPA High Center
Research infrastructure of regional interest, from 2021.
IR.IDE research infrastructure
Laboratories provide support for the teaching and research activities of the department and the university, offering state-of-the-art equipment and highly specialized expertise.
Labs
Dedicated to the cultures of design, the Iuav Doctoral School has a unique course, “Architecture, City and Design”, marked by a strong interdisciplinary dialogue.
Doctoral School
Higher education for specialists in restoration, protection and knowledge of architectural and landscape heritage, including in areas at risk.
SSIBAP graduate school
Santa Croce 191 – Venice