School’s Out! #23 Alessandra Covini and Giovanni Bellotti of Studio Ossidiana

For School’s Out! #23 we welcomed Alessandra Covini and Giovanni Bellotti of Studio Ossidiana for a talk about their work and the approach of their office. We had been a fan of their fairytale work since they won the Dutch Prix de Rome in 2018, the most prestigious prize in the Netherlands for architects under the age of 35.

Studio Ossidiana is a practice based in Rotterdam that works at the crossroads of architecture, visual art and design and is led by Alessandra Covini and Giovanni Bellotti. Balancing research and fabrication, their practice explores innovative approaches in design, and is always in search of new material expressions to translate visions into tangible spaces and objects. Playfulness, tactility and inclusivity play a major role in the studio’s projects: stories are told and objects are brought to life through materials and spaces that call for action, discovery and wonder. Working across multiple scales, Studio Ossidiana blurs the boundaries between architecture, design, art, landscape, and urban strategies.

During their talk they zoomed in on three projects in order to explain  how they explore materials and tactility while at the same time including non human species into their aesthetically pleasing projects.

Programme

18:00 – 19:00 Doors open: drinks, bites and tunes
19:00 – 20:00 Lecture by Allessandra Covini and Giovanni Bellotti
20:00 – 20:30 Short film, selected by Jord den Hollander
20:30 – 22:00 Drinks, bites and tunes

About Allessandra Covini and Giovanni Bellotti
Alessandra Covini studied in Milan and Lisbon and received her master’s degree in Architecture at the University of Technology in Delft (NL). Alessandra is the winner of the Prix de Rome Architecture 2018, the oldest and most prestigious award for young architects in the Netherlands. Giovanni Bellotti studied in Venice and Delft and received his master’s degree in Architecture from IUAV University of Venice (IT), and a postgraduate degree from MIT (US) in Architecture and Urbanism. Giovanni is a Fulbright fellow and Miguel Vinciguerra award recipient. He worked as a researcher for TU Delft’s The Why Factory and MIT’s Center for Advanced Urbanism.