Viola
Viola Maffessanti
Ciao! (Italian)
In the studio:
I studied in Venice and Berlin and since 2007 I have been working in architectural practices in Barcelona, Venice and London. At astudio since 2012, I have been involved in several jobs, including residential, educational and commercial projects and competitions at different scales, I have lead School 21 design phases, and Vicar’s Green primary school and The Kingston Academy projects from concept to hand-over. This latter project was completed in September 2019 and was my greatest achievement within astudio.
Alongside my passion for design, my strongest values concern the respect for the environment and the acknowledgment of our responsibility as Architects to do
our part to preserve it. This focus and interest, especially developed in the last years, led me to undertake my MSc in Environmental Design and Engineering at UCL, completed in 2018. I am now bringing my skills within the practice, sharing knowledge on sustainability principles and performing environmental modelling on projects to test and constantly improve our design.
I am also particularly sensitive about the urban physical context and the social impact of architecture on the local communities. For this reason, since 2014 I am an active volunteering member of Architecture for Humanity (AFH) and Architectes Sans Frontieres (ASF) with projects in London, Italy and Nepal.
One amazing fact:
My passion for architecture and the environment probably started during my teenage years within a scout group in my hometown Trieste, developing a talent in designing and building camp kitchens, flagpole, bridges and houses on the trees with wooden poles and rope knots techniques.
Outside the studio:
I regularly train and perform in ballet and contemporary dance since young age, I do sail whenever I can, occasionally take part in yoga and Pilates classes, and otherwise enjoy going to exhibitions and discovering new places in my weekends.
