The International Laboratory of Architecture and Urban Design, ILAUD is a free association – founded in Italy in 1976 by Giancarlo De Carlo – among Universities, cultural institutions, individual persons and scholars whose interests are focused on the problems of human habitat and environment.
ILAUD activities are carried on through laboratories based on studio work, seminars and lectures, both on-site and online. Laboratories take place where there are contemporary issues particularly relevant that must be studied in depth, such as increasing pollution, migratory processes, growing urban society, endangered nature etc. Design is used as a tool for exploring issues and suggest tentative solutions that can be useful also for other cases. Research projects and studios on these issues are further developed on a more permanent basis by the Schools of Architecture and Planning associated with ILAUD around the world.
ILAUD current activity focuses on international workshops on site and online, online courses and seminars, e-learning platform, consulting activities for real projects, support for growing educational institutions, platform for debates on contemporary issues related to architecture and urban planning and editorial activities.
ILAUD aims to approach these issues in an original and innovative way which can also produce positive and realistic answers to existing problems. Its objective is to suggest possible solutions that are neither produced by current market interests nor academic dreams, and that can contribute to solve specific issues.
Themes and problems that have a strong local identity and at the same time are common to other regions of the world.