Paola Giaconia is a licensed architect and experienced university educator.
She graduated with honors, earning a diploma in Architecture from the Politecnico di Milano in 1996. As a Fulbright Scholarship recipient, she obtained her Master’s Degree from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in Los Angeles in 1999.
After work experiences at Morphosis in the USA and Massimiliano Fuksas in Italy, she established her own practice in Italy. Her project for the new civic center in Ranica garnered international attention through various global publications and received numerous awards. Shortlisted for the Gold Medal for Italian Architecture in 2012 by the Milan Triennale, the building had previously won the First Prize for Best Public Building from the Institute of Architects in Bergamo, Italy, in 2011, in a jury chaired by Aurelio Galfetti.
Trained as an architect, Paola deliberately ventured beyond the conventional practice of architecture, engaging in academic, editorial, and curatorial pursuits.
Her publications and articles in esteemed international magazines, including "Abitare" (Italy), "Architektur + Technik" (Switzerland), “de Architect” (Netherlands) and "Domus" (Italy), underscore her commitment to diverse pursuits. She has been a guest lecturer at various universities and cultural institutions worldwide, including the Politecnico di Milano, the MAXXI Museum in Rome, Dankook University in South Korean and Universidad CEU San Pablo in Madrid, Spain. As part of the board of the Beyond Media festival, she curated the SPOT ON SCHOOLS exhibition whose 3 editions (2003, 2005 and 2009) saw the participation of some among the most distinguished schools of architecture in the world (from SCI-Arc to Columbia University, from ETH to RMIT, from University of Hong Kong to the Architectural Association) that investigate the ways digital media have informed the conception and production of architecture. Paola's projects have been published internationally in “Metropolis” (USA), “AZURE” (Canada) and “Domus” (Italy).
Among her publications:
Giovanni Damiani, Thilo Folkerts, Paola Giaconia (eds.), The Kent State Forum on the City: BERLIN (dpr-barcelona, 2015).
Paola Giaconia, Eugenio Pandolfini (eds.), The Kent State Forum on the City: MADRID (dpr-barcelona, 2013).
Paola Giaconia (ed.), GEZA PRATIC (Silvana Editoriale, 2011).
Marco Brizzi, Paola Giaconia (eds.), VISIONS (Image PUBLISHING, 2009).
Paola Giaconia, Eric Owen Moss. The Uncertainty of Doing (Skira, 2006).
Paola Giaconia (ed.), SPOT ON SCHOOLS. SCRIPT (Compositori, 2005).
Since 2007 Paola teaches Architecture Studio at Kent State University, Study Abroad Program in Florence, Italy where, since 2011, she is also coordinator for the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (Architecture and Interior Design programs). At Kent State University Florence she orchestrates several streams of activity: from directing the academic program of the College of Architecture and Environmental Design to curating the lecture series and international symposia to teaching architecture and interior design studios. Since 2005 she teaches Architecture Studio at California State University Florence Program to 4th year students coming from CalPoly San Luis Obispo and Pomona and since 2009 she also coordinates the Architecture Program.
She is partner at Image for Culture www.imageforculture.com, a strategic international media advisor for architecture, and co-director at The Architecture Curator www.thearchitecturecurator.com, supporting the creative development of emerging and established architecture practices. Paola is also is team member at The Architecture Player www.architectureplayer.com, a place to disclose new architecture stories, through video.
Licensed as an architect in Italy since 1997, Paola brings a wealth of expertise to her roles as both a practitioner and educator.