Rome Future Week 2026 · FabLab Lazio, Lazio Innova Spazio Attivo Roma Casilina · 22 September 2026
At Rome Future Week my studio was one of two real business cases studied by international students of IES Abroad Rome, in a morning session on strategic marketing and innovation at FabLab Lazio. The students analysed our value proposition, positioning, clients and acquisition channels, then proposed how we could grow.
Architecture with an identity
I work where architecture, sculpture, design and digital experimentation meet. The question behind every project is how an artistic idea becomes a functional space with its own identity. Onda Carioca at CasaShopping in Rio de Janeiro brings a wave of glass and steel into a commercial setting; Reut Heart explores how a sculptural canopy can bring public life, social interaction and retail together.
Our clients are developers, shopping-centre owners, hospitality businesses, private homeowners, cultural organisations and public bodies: people who want a destination, a space that expresses who they are, a project that people remember.
What makes a client choose?
I expected most proposals to focus on showing creativity: better photographs, videos, sketches, the design process. These matter. But I asked the students to challenge the idea that artistic ability is enough to win a commission.
Most developers want to see revenue and a return on investment. Cultural value and composition persuade them when they help attract buyers, tenants or visitors, support prices or strengthen a destination. The question is how design creates value for their business.
Reputation matters too, sometimes as much as a client’s own judgement. Imagine two proposals of equal quality, one by an unknown architect, one by an architect endorsed by respected publications and trusted contacts. Would the client judge them equally? The design has not changed; the perceived value of its author has.
My last example was Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian, a banana taped to a wall. An edition sold at Sotheby’s in November 2024 for $6.24 million with fees, together with a signed certificate of authenticity. Its value lies in authorship, recognition and ownership, far beyond materials or craftsmanship.
The question for my studio
Architecture must work and be delivered reliably. How do I build the credibility and recognition that make clients actively want a project by me, and understand the value it creates? This site, and this journal, are part of the answer.
Sources: Rome Future Week programme; Sotheby’s, 20 November 2024.