In 2026, the Università IUAV di Venezia marks the 100th anniversary of its founding – an important milestone for a public institution that has always sought to read, interpret and, at times, transform the world. Founded in the heart of Venice, IUAV has grown into an international point of reference in architecture and urban planning, as well as in design, fashion and the arts.
The centenary marks both a moment of celebration and an opportunity for critical reflection. Alongside commemorating its achievements, IUAV has chosen to use this anniversary to foster debate on the evolution of design disciplines and on the role the Venetian university can play in addressing contemporary challenges. Identity, innovation and scientific research will therefore be at the core of a rich programme of exhibitions, conferences, seminars and public events throughout 2026, hosted both within the university and across the city. Once again, IUAV reaffirms its deep connection with Venice.
“Celebrating the centenary means looking to the past with gratitude and to the future with responsibility,” explains Rector Benno Albrecht. “IUAV has always combined tradition and innovation, opening itself to students and researchers from all over the world. Today, our commitment is to strengthen our international vocation, promote sustainability, and develop teaching and research programmes capable of responding to major global challenges.”
Among the main initiatives are two major exhibitions at Magazzino 6 in Santa Marta. From April to July, 100 disegni x 100 anni (100 drawings × 100 years) will present a selection of original works from the IUAV Project Archive, offering an overview of the figures, approaches and cultural contexts that have shaped the university’s history. In the autumn, Guido Guidi all’Iuav will pay tribute to one of Italy’s most important photographers, who has played a central role in teaching and research at IUAV for many years.
The centenary programme also includes a series of monthly conferences titled Dieci per cento – le conferenze Iuav del Centenario (Ten per cent – IUAV Centenary Conferences), featuring leading voices from the national and international cultural scene. Workshops, public encounters and publications will take place in symbolic locations throughout Venice. The IUAV Library will open its doors to the public with an exhibition dedicated to the university’s first century and to the ideas, disciplines and visions that have defined its trajectory.
To mark the anniversary, IUAV has also renewed its visual identity through a design project developed by university lecturers in collaboration with AIAP. The new logo and coordinated graphic system interpret the centenary as both a cultural and institutional transition. The celebration of IUAV’s founding thus becomes not only a commemoration, but an open laboratory – a space for dialogue between memory and future, between Venice and the world – reaffirming the university’s role as a centre for critical thought and advanced production in design culture.
IUAV at a glance
Founded in 1926, IUAV is one of Italy’s leading schools of architecture and the only Italian university entirely dedicated to design disciplines: Architecture, Urban Planning and Design, Design, Arts, Fashion, Theatre and Performing Arts. Today, IUAV is a small university with a strong experimental vocation, placing design at the heart of both teaching and research. Its work ranges from the design of spaces and environments to objects, communication and cultural events, addressing issues of individual and social well-being, environmental sustainability, inclusion and energy. IUAV has been a pioneer in research on sustainability, climate change and ecological transition, as well as in design for reconstruction in areas affected by war and natural disasters.
The university is also home to an extraordinary library and archive, constituting a national reference point for architecture and design. Alongside an extensive collection of books, it preserves archives of architectural projects, drawings, models, photographs, maps and rare publications documenting the twentieth century and contemporary culture.
