Politecnica was among the first to adopt BIM technology. What are the new design frontiers today? 

Starting from Building Information Modelling, it is true that we were among the first to use it in a tangible way. However, we are still far from making full use of the potential and processes of BIM. I believe that the design part has now made great improvements, while the direction of the works and the construction site are still in a very experimental phase, as well as the maintenance management, which is still in its infancy. BIM is a chapter that still needs to be explored and I think it has much potential to be unveiled. These possibilities can be fully exploited throughout the entire supply chain, from design to management up to maintenance, otherwise there is always one part missing. 

Recently I invited a professor from the Polytechnic of Milan to have a conversation at OICE, the trade association member of Confindustria that represents Italian engineering, architecture and technical-economic consulting organizations. Precisely because he comes from the university world, he has an experimental vocation superior to that of our societies. On that occasion, he recounted to us what implications artificial intelligence and the metaverse could have on our profession. I must admit that I was amazed at what could be done by bringing the modalities of artificial intelligence within the management of the construction site by simply supporting the design of prefabricated elements with 3D printers and the automation of repetitive machining.

The theme of the metaverse is not immediate and not easily accessible. On complex designs I see less immediate implications, but I can guess that there is the possibility of doing more experimentation with virtual mock-ups. I believe that this is an area which I still have to fully understand but which I cannot stop looking at with curiosity. It should also be stressed that there is a generation gap on this theme and this is why Politecnica must make use of the intergenerational character that characterizes it to become increasingly familiar with such tools.

Are there any new projects you would like to share with us? 

In the public sphere, we designed a hospital in Pavia, the first new large-scale Italian hospital established after the pandemic. This work has given us the opportunity to put in practice and give an answer to the important demand for flexibility of spaces and environments that followed the pandemic. With investments of this type we must also deal with strict financial budgets, therefore it is a “controlled” and yet innovative design.

As for the private side, after a slowdown in 2022 due to the increase in raw material prices, several construction sites have been inaugurated and today’s market is prospering. I would mention in particular two important infrastructure works in Ljubljana: the project construction management of a bridge and that of a motorway. We have discovered a country that, also thanks to the finding of large oil deposits, is growing each day more. It was already in our strategy to strengthen our presence in the Caribbean countries and, thanks to these two important tenders that we won, we had the chance to bring it forward. 

During these fortunate years for engineering and architecture in Italy we are trying to become stronger abroad because I fear that this extraordinary moment will soon end. Also because of the new procurement code, which does not see the project as a fundamental element, the Italian market will probably turn again into a difficult territory. In this medium period we are expanding to different countries so as not to have to rethink our dimension in the future.

Navigating markets of different areas of the world we found that, both in highly advanced and developing countries, the technical and cultural approach changes much. For example, Danish engineering has a much lower propensity to risk than the average and therefore, from an engineering point of view, tends to be conservative and experiment little. In Italy, on the other hand, there is a much higher risk disposition, for better or worse. To me, the cultural aspect is the most fun and stimulating side of the work. I also believe that we must have great humility in approaching a country that we do not know in order to learn its customs. This applies to the types of construction and to the materials used not only for a theme of sustainability, but also in respect of the context and approach to technology of the place.