Success stories

Lorenzo, the new entrepreneur, had studied architecture in Naples, where he had his first experience as a trainee and assistant in academia. His cultural background has a lot to do with the Italian culture of life and the practical lessons that only a city like Naples can give. He selected the Host Entrepreneur, Aitor, one of the partners of Arquitectura G, an architectural firm in Barcelona. His work and cultural profile were exactly in line with what Lorenzo considered good architecture. Since he knew his business idea for the future, based on a strong combination of cultural knowledge, genius loci, digital fabrication and analogue tools, it was easy to understand and find that they could be the place to continue learning. The goals Lorenzo hoped for and then achieved can be summarised as the ability to manage the complexity of the project without losing quality.

The activities carried out during these months adhered to the programme organised before departure. The first period was characterised by the familiarisation with the working environment, the team and the digital and non-digital working tools. This period ensured that a precise workflow was established in preparation for the next phase, where NE worked on a competition and participated in the initial stages and then the final delivery, where the experience gained in the first few weeks enabled him to work quickly with the team and cope well with the pressure. He then moved on to some private commissions and was able to follow these jobs almost all the way through, from the preliminary design phase through to site visits and meetings with craftsmen or clients. This last phase was definitely the most important. 

The results and achievements of these months can be divided into two main categories: specific technical and professional skills on the one hand, and an understanding of how to manage a project on the other. The technical skills that this experience has provided NE are very relevant and qualifying. Lorenzo went through some specific cases of the architectural profession (competitions, private commissions) with Aitor and now feels much better educated and able to approach a design job with more confidence. But the most interesting part of the skills he has developed in these months concerns everything that is not tangible or strictly professional. Design involves conceptualising and predicting all that can happen during implementation. Talking to clients or tradespeople is another fundamental stage of the job, and doing it well ensures that a project is as close as possible to the original idea once it's realised.