The third and last MOOC "Mario Botta. To be an architect" kicks off on 2 September

Over 2800 participants from mostly Switzerland, England, Italy and the USA took part in the first two MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) offered by USI. Registration for the third MOOC open at https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/mario-botta-architect/3.

The course is structured as a conversation with Mario Botta, in which the renowned architect from Ticino and one of the founders of USI Academy of Architecture, explains what it means to be an architect, the role of architects and architecture, and presents his works and the idea behind the foundation of the Academy. The course is aimed at anyone interested in architecture and art in general, in particular teachers, researchers, and students in the field.

The educational goal is to offer an introduction to the profession of architect and to the concept of architecture as described and conceived by the famous architect Mario Botta. The course tackles the following themes: living, the city and the community; the light and materials of the architect; sacred architecture; restoration; architecture, design and customs; the masters of Mario Botta; the works of Mario Botta: the "Stone Flower" on Monte Generoso; the Academy of Architecture and Teatro dell’architettura. The MOOC will be in English, with original videos of the interview to Mario Botta in Italian with English subtitles.

“Mario Botta. To be an architect” is one of five MOOCs relised at USI. The others are "eTourism: Communication Perspectives", "All’eterno dal tempo. La Commedia di Dante" and two other courses organised in cooperation with Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne: "Tourism Management at UNESCO World Heritage Sites (vol. 1)" - with 5821 enrolled - and "Tourism Management at UNESCO World Heritage Sites (vol. 2)" - with 2297 enrolled from 140 countries.