News & Focus
I am Stefano Ferracini, an independent architect, professor, and curator based in Brussels.
This section features a selection of recent articles, events, and exhibitions that I have curated or contributed to. For all other sections, please use the main menu above (or the mobile menu in the top-left corner).
For more information, please visit my bio page.
Thanks for visiting!
Acts of Isolation: Part I & II – "Breathe" + "Smoke with me"
After nearly two years of experimenting, making mistakes, and refining my editing and filmmaking process, I am thrilled to finally share two short films with you. This project has been a true labor of love, and I couldn't be prouder of how it turned out. I hope you enjoy watching them as much as I enjoyed making them.
You can watch both pieces on my Vimeo page, which form a cohesive diptych on the human condition:
Part I: Breathe In this piece, I explore the tension between youth and isolation. It’s a study of distress draped in beauty, where 90s cathode-ray textures meet an underground soundscape of dripping water and distant winds. A raw, human glimpse into the void.
Part II: Smoke with me A direct continuation of the story started in Breathe. Through slow-motion movements and intimate close-ups, this chapter builds an atmosphere of suspense and introspection. Stripped back to stark, high-contrast black and white, the overexposed highlights become the only guide through the silence. To bridge these two worlds, I used the exact same underground soundscape: a raw layer of cave ambience, water drips, and distant wind.
Check out my Vimeo page here:
Inflammation: a symptom of our time
At ESA Saint-Luc Bruxelles, the transversal week explores the theme Inflammation through its individual, social, and environmental dimensions. Thirteen transdisciplinary workshops — ranging from solidarity-based gastronomy to documentary photography — have led to a collective exhibition presented as part of the Parcours d’Artistes de Saint-Gilles.
Among these projects, Le Trait de Réconfort, coordinated by Stefano Ferracini, professor in the Interior Design department, develops the idea of a cooling corridor: a space — real or symbolic — that soothes both urban and inner tensions. Conceived as a breath within the city, it becomes a place of sensitive perception, where bodies, objects, and environment interact.
Students are invited to imagine micro-spaces, objects, or pathways capable of generating individual and collective well-being, at the intersection of architecture, ecology, and poetry. In dialogue with contributors such as Sauvons la Friche Josaphat, Citytools, and Inner Design, the project proposes a more calm and sensitive vision of the contemporary city.
The exhibition is on view at the Maison du Peuple and at the M30 exhibition space, with an opening on April 10 and events throughout the April weekends.
Saturday, March 21, 2026 — Open Day at ST-LUC BXL
Interior Design Department (CID)
Programme:
10:00–18:00
Open studios:
Student work presentations and various activities in each department’s studios. Welcome desk and information available for visitors.
15:30–16:30
Information session:
18:00–21:00
Open stage for students
In collaboration with the sound department.
Pierre Hebbelinck: Publishing, Notebooks and the Dialogue between Visual Arts and Architecture
On the occasion of the Month of Publishing and the Carnet exhibition, ESA Saint-Luc Brussels invites Pierre Hebbelinck to a lecture devoted to his publishing house and to the relationships between visual arts and architecture.
The meeting will also address the importance of the research notebook as a tool for reflection, design, and the construction of architectural thought.
The lecture will take place in the Jean Cosse Auditorium, Brussels, on 9 February 2026 at 6:30 p.m.
Paix-Dieu Workshop 2026: Exploring Duality Through Traditional Craft Techniques
From December 15 to 19, 2026, students from the Department of Drawing and Technology in Architecture at ESA Saint-Luc Brussels participated in the “Paix-Dieu Workshop” at the Centre des métiers du patrimoine – La Paix-Dieu in Amay, Wallonia, Belgium.
The Centre, located in a former Cistercian abbey, is focused on the preservation and transmission of heritage crafts. It offers training in techniques such as stone and metalwork, carpentry, architectural restoration, artistic stained glass, terracotta, and earth construction.
During the workshop, students worked under the guidance of faculty from the department. The projects were based on the theme of duality—light and dark, mechanical and natural, life and death—and students were asked to interpret this concept using different materials and techniques.
The practical exercises included mosaics, metalwork, terracotta, stone carving, carpentry, and raw earth construction. Students applied the concept of duality through these techniques, combining design ideas with traditional craftsmanship.
The workshop provided direct experience in heritage crafts and allowed students to explore the relationship between concept and material in architectural design.
“CARNETS”
Expo M30 — ESA Saint-Luc Brussels
On the occasion of the Month of Publishing, the Arts of Space programs (AI, CID, DTA) present an exhibition of travel journals, reflections, and personal drawings.
Each notebook becomes a creative pause, a suspended moment in which students put down on paper what they observe, feel, and experience.
Sometimes free and spontaneous, sometimes shaped by constraints, the compositions consistently reveal the uniqueness and artistic sensitivity of each individual.
Exhibition dates:
February 3–12, 2026
Closing event and lecture:
February 12, 2026, at 6:30 pm
Lecture by Pierre Hebbelinck
Auditorium Jean Cosse, rue d’Irlande, Brussels
Followed by a drink at Espace M30 — ESA Saint-Luc Brussels
Workshop — 10 → 14 November 2025
In a world that keeps accelerating — our bodies, our cities, our thoughts — Le Trait de Réconfort offers a pause, a breath, a space to slow down.
Inspired by the concept of a cooling corridor — green or water-crossed areas that reduce urban heat islands — the workshop invites participants to reinterpret this idea both as a physical reality and a poetic metaphor.
Within the workshop, the cooling corridor becomes more than a place: it is a suspended breath between urban flow and inner silence.
A sensitive interstice where perception transforms space into a fluid stage for encounters, emotions, and poetry.
A fragment of stillness that connects bodies, objects, and neighborhoods to a shared sense of comfort.
Working in small groups, students are invited to imagine their own cooling corridor — concrete or conceptual, intimate or collective, material or mental.
Each proposal can take the form of an object, a micro-space, a path, or even a liberating mental image.
The goal: to explore the relationships between space, sensations, interactions, and poetry, and to design a device capable of easing urban and social tensions while generating a breath of individual and collective well-being.
The workshop is enriched by guest talks and interventions, opening a dialogue between creation, ecology, urbanism, sociology, and architecture:
Sauvons la Friche Josaphat – an active association for the protection and enhancement of urban wastelands.
Citytools – a multidisciplinary office working for vibrant and inclusive territories.
Inner Design – object designers exploring sensitive relationships between matter, space, and emotion.
Innovative & Modular Material Library – CTA TECH WORKSHOP 24-26/09/2025
I’m thrilled to share my latest workshop with Materiaux.archi! Together with students from the CI3 Interior Design Department and the DTA3 Design & Technology in Architecture, we explored how to design and build a unique piece of furniture for a Material Library.
The workshop took place at Recy K Brussels and ESA Saint-Luc Brussels—two inspiring spaces where creativity, collaboration, and sustainable design brought our ideas to life.
The CTA TECH project goes far beyond furniture. I’m excited by its mission: to create a structured, educational space where students, trainers, and professionals can discover, handle, and classify innovative and sustainable materials. The Material Library is designed to be:
Modular and adaptable, to fit different spaces and teaching contexts.
Ergonomic and accessible, easy for everyone to use and explore.
Durable and robust, with materials that withstand frequent handling.
Eco-designed, using recycled or bio-based materials.
Interactive, integrating digital tools like QR codes and tablets to make learning dynamic.
Being part of this workshop was an incredible experience. Seeing the students’ creativity in action and contributing to a project that combines design, sustainability, and education was truly inspiring. I can’t wait to see these concepts evolve into a real, tangible Material Library that encourages exploration and learning.
10 for 1
Reflections on
Vers une architecture - Le Corbusier
Edited by Stefano Ferracini
Architecture is not just the design of buildings; it is a privileged lens through which to observe and interpret the world. It is a constant dialogue between theory and practice, between the physical dimension of space and the intangible realm of ideas.
This book stems from the need to outline reading paths that guide students, enthusiasts, and professionals in exploring the multifaceted nature of architecture through books.
It is also an experiment, an attempt to understand how contemporary tools — from artificial intelligence to self-publishing — can enhance, simplify, and enrich a text. It is not an exhaustive or academic manual, nor does it aim to be a definitive work. Instead, it is an accessible and stimulating invitation.
Designed for those approaching architecture for the first time, for those seeking guidance through fundamental texts, or for experts wishing to delve into theoretical perspectives in a straightforward and engaging way.
Drawing and Technology in Architecture, Interior Design and Interior Architecture (BAC 1)
From space to conviviality
The theme of the week will be to find solutions to develop and animate internal common areas, including the area located on the ground floor, just after the entrance. This space, currently dark, cold and without a clearly defined function, is currently limited to a few waiting chairs.
The objective is to give life back to this space by integrating relevant functions, conducive to usability. Students, divided into groups, will have to analyze the space.
This analysis will include two components: a measure and a survey of users (ESA st-Luc Bxl, ERG, Saint-Luc workshop and Saint-Luc Institute) to define needs. It will also be necessary to take into account that this space will be open to the general public at certain times of the year (Heritage Days, artists' courses, public conferences), which requires thinking about a wider use than that reserved for students.
During this week, in addition to the teachers of the different options, architects, researchers, anthropologists and photographers will be present to develop and deepen the theme. Among the speakers:
Brigitte de Groof, architect who collaborated on the Forum project.
Olivier Cornil, photographer who will accompany the analysis of the site.
Sophie Dars, architect and critic, who will develop architectural analysis and research.
Stéphanie Mahieu, anthropologist, who will deepen the aspects related to the human and the interaction with brutalist architecture.
Véronique Almeida Cruz, historian, who will focus on researching the historical aspects of furniture and design in public spaces.
Giorgio and Simone Zenoni, accompanied by Basilia Barcella, Italian architects who will bring their practical experience in architecture. In particular, Giorgio Zenoni, contemporary of Jean Cosse, studied architecture in Saint-Luc Brussels in the 1950s.
First Exhibition (Block 1) at M30, Brussels
The work from various courses (Block 1) ESA SAINT LUC BRUXELLES will be exhibited at M30 from July 2nd until September 8th, 2024.
The M30 exhibition space is open from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with free entry.
Coordinated by Stefano Ferracini
But how do these people, these " Human, All Too Human" actually live in their homes? Which architects do they turn to for their home projects, what do they ask and what do they get? Although these projects are asked of famous architects (Gae Aulenti, Osvaldo Borsani, etc.) and occupy important moments in the career of these characters, such examples have never been taken into consideration by the history of architecture. Difficulties in visiting these places, a sense of privacy, an intention to hide one's domestic place or simply disciplinary ignorance have forgotten these places.
Other Houses Like Mine was conceived by Roberto Zancan and realized in collaboration with Gabriele Cirami. Gabriele Cirami curated the exhibition, handled all aspects of the production of the book materials, and participated in the interviews. The authors of the interpretive essays also took part in the interviews. Stefano Ferracini and Danielle Leenaerts coordinated the production with Olivier Moulin and Germain Papillon, teachers in Graphic Design at Esa Saint-Luc Brussels, as well as with the school's administrative staff, concerning both the book and the exhibition.GENERAL MANAGER: Danielle Leenaerts COORDINATION: Stefano FerraciniACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Marcel Zmek, Hester Calkhoven, Pin Schuurman, Rosanna CacioThis project was made possible thanks to the contribution of the FiPA-ESA fund, Wallonia-Brussels Federation (FWB).PublicationUNDER THE DIRECTION OF: Roberto Zancan GRAPHIC DESIGN AND LAYOUT: Brush (graphicdressers) PRINTING: Laurent Mbaah BINDING: Corinne Clarysse ESSAYS: Antonello Frongia, Luigi Guizzardi, Nina Artioli, Giulia Ricci, Giovanni Comoglio INTERVIEWS WITH: Dante Ferretti, Marco Loporfido, Anna Zoppo, Antonia Berto, Gabriele Mastrigli, Giovanna Buzzi, Dante Bini, Pépita Isetta, Anita Eubank, Neil Jackson ARCHIVE IMAGES: Archivio Gae Aulenti, Dante Bini, Craig Ellwood Collection – ENV Archives Cal Poly, Marco Loporfido, Anita Eubank, Neil Jackson, Lino Barone, Antonia Berto TRANSCRIPTION: Clara Mazzetti FRENCH TRANSLATION: Danielle Leenaerts
"The Talking Chairs" is an interdisciplinary workshop focusing on drawing and graphic representation. The drawings were created by first-year Interior Design students during a one-week interdisciplinary workshop from February 7th to 11th 2023 Esa Saint Luc Brussels
While the theme of this interdisciplinary workshop explores various approaches to drawing - including observational and expressive drawing, drawing plans using both traditional and computer tools, and 3D computer drawing - the focus is on the folding chair, a specific piece of furniture closely related to the option. These folding chairs were found in common yet varied models, each one unique in its proportions, shapes, folding principles, and details.
The workshop was organized by teachers from Color and Design, Architectural Drawing, Expressive Drawing, Computer Graphics, and Art History departments.
You can find the article here
