MoDus Architects

MoDusArchitects was founded by Sandy Attia (Cairo, 1974) and Matteo Scagnol (Trieste, 1968) in 2000. The studio distinguishes itself within the international architectural panorama by the bold and heterogenous body of work that intertwines the founding partners’ two different formative and cultural backgrounds.
Since its inception, MoDusArchitects addresses multiple topics, scales and programs – from infrastructure to school buildings – and pursues a design process that holds steadfast the relationship between ideas and buildings. The projects are careful studies of the places and contexts within which they are situated to produce surprising architectural vocabularies that combine an approach that is both intuitive and grounded in the tectonics of the architectural discipline.
Completed works include the Novacella Abbey Museum Addition, the renovation and extension of the Cusanus Academy, TreeHugger - Bressanone Tourist Visitors Centre, the Bressanone-Varna ring road, Ponte di Ghiaccio Mountain Lodge, the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centre, the School Campus in the Firmian district of Bolzano, the Bressanone-Varna Ring Road, the Kostner House and Studio, the Damiani Holz&Ko Office Addition, the Hotel Icaro’s extension and several private single family house projects.
MoDusArchitects’ work has been recognized with a number of important awards: the Premio italiano di Architettura 2022, In/Architettura award 2020, Best Architects (2013, 2018, 2019), German Design Council’s Iconic Award (2012, 2019), the first prize for the International Piranesi Award 2013 and the jury’s special prize at the Premio Architetto Italiano 2013; honourable mentions for the Premio Architettura Città di Oderzo 2022, the Gold Medal in Italian Architecture (2015, 2012), the Architetto Italiano Prize 2021 and the Premio italiano di Architettura 2020; a nomination for the EU Mies van der Rohe Award 2015 and two nominations for the EU Mies van der Rohe Award 2022 (TreeHugger and Cusanus Academy).
Several projects have been included in the Triennale di Milano in 2012 e 2015, the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2018 within the Italian Pavilion.
The Kostner House and Studio project together with the Damiani Holz&Ko Office Building project are part of the MAXXI Museum’s permanent collection in Rome.
Matteo Scagnol and Sandy Attia flank their professional work with their academic roles as Visiting Professors at the University of Virginia (USA) and previously held the same role at Princeton University (USA). Sandy Attia also leads an architectural design course at the Milan Polytechnic.