Nicola Braghieri

Biography

Born in Milan in 1967, Nicola Braghieri is professor of Theory and Practice of Digital Fine Arts at the Architecture School of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). He lives and works between Lausanne and Geneva.

After obtaining a doctorate in Theory and Methodology of Architecture, he was appointed a professor at the University of Genoa and TU Darmstadt, visiting professor at the Polytechnic of Zurich (ETH), Lausanne (EPFL) and at the SSEAU of Naples, lecturer and visiting critic in numerous European Universities - including TUH Hanover, LFH Leipzig, RWTH Aachen, Uni Stuttgart, ENSA Paris-Est MLV and Accademia d’Architettura Mendrisio.

Between 2015 and 2019, Nicola Braghieri held the direction of the Section Architecture at EPFL ENAC, where he initiated a major reform of the program, focusing on the enhancement of humanities in the "Baukultur" of architectural design (or 'culture du projet').
He is currently a member of the Board of the Doctoral School of the Architecture Faculty in Genoa, and of EDAr (École Doctorale d'Architecture et de la ville) at EPFL.
Within the latter, he deals specifically with the 'digital U-turn'.
He has written several books, and has published theoretical texts, scientific essays and critical reviews in international magazines.
He is on the editorial staff of the international magazine Casabella.

Since 2013, Nicola Braghieri has directed the Arts of Sciences Laboratory (LAPIS - Laboratoire des arts pour les sciences) at EPFL in Lausanne. The research unit, which employs about 25 researchers and teaching assistants, investigates the relationship between art and science through the study of theories and technics of representation of architecture and territory.
Its specific mission within the polytechnic community is to scrutinize the processes of visual transmission of scientific phenomena by employing figurative tools developed within artistic disciplines.
The operational structure of the laboratory is such that research and teaching are closely linked. This creates continuity and critical mass.
In 2024, four PhD students completed their theses under Braghieri's supervision, four more are in progress and three are on admission procedure.

Professionally, Nicola Braghieri is the co-founder of the architectural firm EX-M (www.ex-m.eu), based in Geneva.
In recent years, EX-M has worked on public projects of primary importance such as the Vandoeuvres Esplanade in Geneva, the water purification plant for the city of Milan, and the S16 plan for 350 low-priced social housing of Settimo Milanese. He has taken part in many competitions in Switzerland and abroad, receiving numerous mentions and realizing numerous buildings. His projects have been published in anthological volumes and in architectural review magazines such as Domus, Casabella, Area, Archi, d’Architettura, Il Giornale dell’Architettura, Werk, Traces, Bauen Wohnen, Bauwelt, Wettbewerbe Aktuell, Arkitektur and Arquitectura Viva. His work has been shown in Milan, in a solo exhibition under the patronage of the German Foreign Ministry, and in group exhibitions in Rome, Bari, Parma and Piacenza.

Mission

 The Art of Sciences laboratory (LAPIS), founded in 2013, investigates the processes of representing scientific thought through figurative tools offered by artistic disciplines. The laboratory’s scientific mission is to investigate the role of implicit knowledge derived from analogical practices in the explicit automation of production processes. Therefore, research and teaching activity explores theoretical and practical implications of handcrafting specifically in the field of digital representation (image analysis, synthesis and processing), while developing strong cultural foundations and critical independent thinking. The virtual representation of architecture, city and territory is cast as a humanist discipline that questions the very nature of design and the definition of the architecture discipline. LAPIS main research axes are the following: Analog Design & Composite Practice Architecture Figuration & Digital Fine-Arts Vernacular Heritage & Systematic Surveying