Designing for society: insights from Mario Cucinella Architects
Mario Cucinella shares how architecture reflects our times and shapes the quality of life through participatory design and a deep connection to context.
In this episode of Behind, DesignWaned visits the Milan studio of Mario Cucinella Architects (MCA), founded by the acclaimed architect Mario Cucinella. Guided by a vision of architecture as a tool for societal benefit, Cucinella reveals the principles shaping the studio’s groundbreaking projects.
“Architecture is a representation of our time,” Cucinella explains. “It must respond to the era in which we live.” At MCA, this belief translates into a constant exploration of how societal needs shape the spaces we inhabit. A key focus for the studio is the concept of living—an issue particularly pressing in Italy. Their research dives into questions like: How will we live in the future? What social structures are evolving, and how can architecture adapt to support them?
For Cucinella, architecture is fundamentally a social act. “We design for others, not for ourselves,” he says, emphasizing the importance of understanding the human conditions and interactions that define a space. This ethos is exemplified in projects like the Ferrari factory in Maranello, where design moves beyond function to enhance workers’ daily lives. The factory’s 70% transparency not only boosts operational efficiency but prioritizes the well-being of its employees, offering a quality of life often overlooked in industrial settings. “Architecture should prioritize people,” he asserts, highlighting the studio’s holistic perspective that considers the broader social and environmental context of each project.
Another project that encapsulates this vision is the Bologna Business School, situated in the protected Bolognese hills. Here, the challenge was to integrate a contemporary campus with the delicate landscape surrounding the 18th-century Villa Guastavillani. MCA’s approach was to create a learning environment that engages with its context. The classrooms open up to the landscape, fostering a connection between the students and the region’s unique natural and cultural heritage. “What they see outside is part of the culture of what they are learning,” Cucinella explains. By framing education within its geographical and cultural setting, the design extends beyond the physical structure, enriching the students’ experience.
This connection between spaces and their surroundings is a recurring theme in MCA’s work. Cucinella draws a parallel between the business school and the Ferrari factory, where workers maintain a visual link to the hills they live in, grounding their daily routines in the familiarity of their environment. “Buildings should never estrange people from their territory,” he says, emphasizing the importance of preserving a sense of belonging.
Participation is another cornerstone of MCA’s design philosophy. Whether engaging with clients, students, or communities, dialogue is a constant presence in the studio’s process. This participatory approach is vividly illustrated in projects like the “Scuola dei Desideri Mario Silvestri” in Abruzzo.
Developed through workshops with children, the project invited them to imagine their ideal school. “Children have a purity and simplicity in their ideas,” Cucinella notes. Their strong connection to nature, untainted by urban complexities, provided invaluable insights. “For them, relationships with animals, plants, and water are vital. These elements, often absent from modern schools, should be integral to educational spaces.”
While not every idea can be implemented, the input from these young participants enriched the design process, bringing fresh perspectives and highlighting the importance of integrating natural elements into learning environments. “Dialogue is essential,” Cucinella reflects. “It’s a source of inspiration and a way to create spaces that truly resonate with the people who use them.”
Through projects that prioritize people, embrace context, and foster dialogue, MCA’s work demonstrates how architecture can serve as a powerful tool for societal improvement. As Cucinella succinctly puts it, “We spend two-thirds of our lives inside buildings. The quality of these spaces profoundly impacts our daily lives.” By designing with this in mind, MCA continues to shape environments that reflect our time, address our needs, and enrich our lives.
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