The Academy of Architecture at the national Movetia conference
International Relations and Study abroad Service
6 May 2026
On March 16 and 17, 2026, the LAC hosted a conference organized by Movetia, the national agency for the promotion of exchanges and mobility in the education sector. The conference, themed “Erasmus+ in Switzerland,” brought together over 300 stakeholders from the education and youth sectors. Experts from Europe and Switzerland presented and discussed the opportunities offered by the Erasmus+ program, which Switzerland aims to join starting in 2027, addressing specific issues for each level of education.
During the conference, the Academy of Architecture was invited to present its internationalization strategy as an example of best practice.
Prof. Martino Pedrozzi presented the WISH (Workshop on International Social Housing) program, an annual workshop that involves the Academy of Architecture and a different partner university each year with the aim of addressing the issue of collective and social housing through architectural design. The workshop has a strong international focus and seeks to establish academic collaboration with all interested entities (partner universities, political institutions, and private organizations in the host country).
By combining academic collaboration, the involvement of local stakeholders, and work on real-world contexts, while simultaneously promoting cultural exchange and reflection on the social role of architecture, WISH represents a particularly effective example of an international initiative.
In addition, Stefano Bastianelli (advisor, International Relations and Mobility Service, Mendrisio Campus) provided an overview of internationalisation at USI, with a particular focus on the Academy.
Participation in the conference highlighted how the Academy of Architecture’s internationalisation strategy, based on mobility, international collaboration and projects such as WISH, represents a virtuous model of integration between education, research and international engagement, in line with USI’s strategy and the future prospects of Erasmus+ in Switzerland.