Master’s Degree in Architecture for Sustainability

The master's degree in Architecture for Sustainability trains architects able to design buildings, urban spaces and territories sustainably, taking into account environmental vulnerabilities, social needs and the possibilities offered by technological innovation. The course puts at the centre the designer's responsibility for environmental transformations and proposes an interdisciplinary approach, in which architecture engages in dialogue with other disciplines. Sustainability in architecture goes beyond the energy efficiency of buildings: it involves the choice of materials, the ability to adapt to climate change, the resilience of fragile territories and the social quality of spaces. The course addresses these questions starting from knowledge of vulnerabilities, to arrive at design solutions that take into account environmental risks and available resources.

The structure is articulated in four thematic semesters: knowledge of territorial vulnerabilities, environmental design, technological innovation and free in-depth study, with interdisciplinary courses. Teaching is experiential and leaves flexibility in building one's programme, with an interdisciplinary comparison on real case studies. The course takes place in person at the Department of Architecture and Design of the Polytechnic University of Turin and offers the possibility of a double degree with a partner university, European or non-European. The page does not give the duration, which the four semesters suggest is two years, or the language, which can be assumed to be Italian, or the credits and the internship. Curricular flexibility is an important feature: in the free in-depth study semester the student can choose interdisciplinary courses to build a personal profile. Experiential teaching, based on real case studies, takes the work out of the classroom, with engagement with concrete territories and communities, and makes the move from theory to design more immediate.

The aim is to train sustainable architects, designers of sustainable buildings, consultants and managers of sustainability projects and urban architects; the page lists eleven professional profiles. The course is aimed at bachelor's graduates in architecture or related disciplines with verified requirements, and suits those who want to make sustainability the centre of their professional practice. The degree, according to national rules, allows graduates to sit the State examination to practise the profession. The Polytechnic University of Turin is ranked 241st in the 2025 QS world rankings and 103rd in the European ones. The cost and the dates are not stated. The double degree with a European or non-European partner university is an opportunity for those who want an international experience and a qualification recognised in two academic systems. The page gives no information on the partner universities, on the requirements for access to this option or on the dates, which must be checked with the department, together with the language and organisational aspects.