Keywords — restoration of Modern Movement architecture, urban design and redevelopment, maintenance and protection of historic gardens, archaeology and open spaces, landscape and historic heritage, architectural design theory and teaching.
2024 Hypogeum Tourism, 8th international research seminar (Designing Heritage Tourism Landscapes network), Sala delle Capriate, Palazzo Steri, Dipartimento di Architettura, University of Palermo, Italy. Fabio Sedia and François Dufaux (Université Laval), Montreal Moderna. Memorie dal sottosuolo. Paper presented on 19 April 2024; proceedings in publication.
2020 – INU Sicilia, Post-pandemic Cities. Paper La verde bellezza. Il futuro sostenibile dei giardini storici, affiliated with Istituto Villa Adriana e Villa d’Este.
Upcoming – International symposium “Il tempo delle cose”, University of Florence (DIDA), Florence, Italy. Fabio Sedia (Université Laval). Dalla materia alle relazioni. Il progetto come conoscenza critica dell’esistente / From Matter to Relations: Design as a Critical Knowledge of the Existing. Paper accepted, full text submitted. 18–19 December 2026.
Upcoming – ICSA2027, 7th International Conference on Structures and Architecture, Politecnico di Milano, 5–9 July 2027. Sedia, F., Espegel Alonso, C., Watanabe, S. and Saad, M. “Reassessing Domestic Modernity in Quebec City: Robert Blatter between Space, Structure, and the Materiality of Dwelling”. Abstract submitted, contribution no. 674.
2026 – CAH 2026 - 10th International Conference on Conservation of Architectural Heritage, Politecnico di Torino, Castello del Valentino, Turin, Italy. Fabio Sedia, Sara Watanabe and Pierre-Ulric Gagné (Université Laval). Reframing Quebec Modernity. Robert Blatter and the Analytical Knowledge of Domestic Space. Paper presented by Fabio Sedia on 9 September 2026, session 4c “Modern Heritage and Urban Narratives: Planning, Reconstruction, and Community Perception”. Conference held 8–10 September 2026.
29-30 January 2026 – Critic|all VI, Politecnico di Torino, Turin. Fabio Sedia, “Redrawing the Modern: Critical Devices in the Age of Hypervisibility”. Paper presented; proceedings published.
Charting the Future. Oceans, Life and Sustainable Navigation, Ross-Gaudreault Cruise Terminal, Port of Québec, Canada. Scientific roundtable organised on the occasion of the training ship Amerigo Vespucci’s visit, with the Italian Embassy in Canada and scientific and port partners. Fabio Sedia (Université Laval), panellist. 24 July 2026.
XX Conference of Italian Researchers in the World, Sala Polifunzionale of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Rome, Italy. Fabio Sedia (Université Laval). Rileggere la modernità architettonica in Québec. Conoscenza, interpretazione e progetto tra conservazione e riuso adattivo. Paper presented on 18 June 2026; abstract published in the proceedings, p. 149.
16 June 2026 – ProArch national seminar on research in architectural design. Invited contribution to the roundtable coordinated by R. Amirante, online.
3° Convegno nazionale Territori Sensibili. Aree interne tra forme e pratiche di resistenza, DARCH, University of Palermo, Italy (scientific director R. Lecardane). Fabio Sedia (Université Laval). Trois-Rivières, dalla modernità industriale al territorio sensibile. 15 June 2026.
51st Annual Conference SSAC/SÉAC, Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada, Saint John (New Brunswick), Canada. Fabio Sedia (Université Laval). Notes for a Manifesto on the Existing Built Environment; chair of the session “Notes for a Manifesto on the Existing Built Environment” (30 May). 27–30 May 2026.
Framework, documentary series (Bell Fibe TV1), invited expert, episode 3 “The Rise of Modernism”, devoted to the emergence of modern architecture in Québec City (dir. P. Arseneau). Broadcast in May 2026; covered by ULaval nouvelles, 21 May 2026.
Arte e Scienza — Valore Italia, IRCCS Ospedale Galeazzi-Sant’Ambrogio, Milan, Italy. Fabio Sedia (Université Laval), invited presentation (online): “Leggere l’invisibile: arte e architettura, una stessa scienza dello sguardo”. 12 May 2026.
ISSNAF Québec — Italian Canadian Research Day, McGill University (Leacock Building 232), Montréal, Canada. Fabio Sedia (Université Laval). Drawing the Modern, Transforming Heritage. Launch of ISSNAF’s Québec chapter and presentation of the Ingegno Italiano Award. 21 April 2026.
Facoltà Architettura Sapienza / École d’architecture Université Laval, 2016–2026. Fabio Sedia (Université Laval), Design, Heritage and Transformation. Theories and Practices Tested against the Built Environment. Sapienza Università di Roma, Facoltà di Architettura, Rome, Italy. 11 March 2026.
Italian Design Day, Classico Design: Archaeology, Architecture and Design in Dialogue in Montréal, Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, Montréal. Fabio Sedia (Université Laval), Villa Adriana: Recomposing Antiquity. 12 March 2026.
5–8 February 2026 – 3rd General Assembly on Industrial Heritage, AIPAI, Bari, Matera and Lecce, Italy. Sedia, F., Carlotti, P. and Dufaux, F. “Oltre l’evento. L’eredità dell’Expo 1938 nel progetto architettonico e urbano di Trois-Rivières”.
2025 – International conference Oltre il Novecento. Teoria e prassi per il Restauro del Moderno. Università degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Architettura, Florence, Italy. 12–13 December 2025. Fabio Sedia, François Dufaux, Il complesso dell’Expo 1938 di Trois-Rivières (Québec,
Canada). Un laboratorio per riabitare il Moderno. The Expo 1938 Complex in Trois-Rivières (Québec, Canada). A Laboratory for Reinhabiting Modernity
RAIC The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), Montreal, Canada
Fabio Sedia (Université Laval), François Dufaux (Université Laval). Architecture, Heritage and Design: Redefining the Methodological Framework. June 2025
50th SSAC Annual Conference 2025, Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada, Ottawa, Canada. Fabio Sedia (Université Laval), François Dufaux (Université Laval), Sara Watanabe (Université Laval). Architecture, Heritage and Design – May 2025.
13 March 2025 – Centre interuniversitaire d’études québécoises (CIEQ), Université Laval. Lunchtime lecture: “The Trois-Rivières exhibition grounds, a modern project, 1938”.
Invited lecture, Università degli Studi di Enna Kore.
Lecture: Useless Machines, LAB1 and LAB4 courses, Aula Laboratorio Disegno 1, Enna, 26 March 2025.
Invited lecture, seminar for the History of Gardens and Landscape course, DARCH, University of Palermo. Talk: Water Features at Villa d’Este, Palermo, 3 April 2025.
Invited lecture, seminar in the Theory and History of Restoration course, DARCH, University of Palermo. Talk: Modern residential neighbourhoods. Resources for the contemporary city, Palermo, 1 April 2025.
Invited lecture, LabCity Architecture graduation studio, DARCH, University of Palermo.
Presentation: Opportunities for Research, Palermo, 28 March 2025.
2024 – Round table – Photography Is Design, 11 April 2024, Université Laval, Québec. Description: Organisation of and participation in a round table entitled Photography Is Design, organised in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute in Montréal and the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA). As a participant, the contribution examined photography’s role as a critical tool in architectural practice, both as a means of representation and as a design tool capable of revealing and reinterpreting built spaces.
8th International Research Seminar: Tourism of the Underground, 18–20 April 2024, Palermo, Italy. Description: Presentation of the talk Modern Montréal. Memories of the Underground, promoted by the Designing Heritage Tourism Landscapes network. The talk explored the role of underground infrastructure in Montréal’s history and modernity. As a speaker, he offered a critical analysis of how these invisible spaces can shape urban memory and contribute to an underground architectural identity.
49th Annual Conference of the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada, 22–25 May 2024, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Description: Presentation of two papers: The 1938 Expo Park in Trois-Rivières and Public Heritage and Administrative Transition, at the 49th Annual Conference of the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada, organized by the University of Manitoba. The papers examined the restoration of landscapes of modernization and the management of surplus public spaces, particularly during the administrative transition of heritage buildings. Role: speaker and session coordinator.
Study day: The Fragment and the Lacuna, 9 July 2024, La Sapienza University, Rome
Description: Presentation of the lecture Towards a Grammar of the Fragment, organized by Sapienza University of Rome. As speaker, he explored how architectural fragments can be used to develop new urban interpretations, emphasizing their role in reinventing urban landscapes.
Exhibition: A Taste of Italian Design! 15 April–28 June 2024, Université Laval, Québec.
Description: Organisation of the exhibition A Taste of Italian Design! in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute in Montréal and the Consulate General of Italy in Montréal. The exhibition presents a selection of iconic Alessi objects, illustrating the impact of Italian design on tableware and architecture. The objects on display reflect the relationship between function and aesthetics in Italian design
2023 – Lecture: Lightness and delicacy of traces and imagination. Discontinuity in design for built heritage, 15 March 2023, Université de Montréal (UdeM), School of Architecture, Montréal, Canada. Description: Lecture presented as part of the selection process for an assistant professor position. The talk explored the notion of discontinuity in built heritage restoration projects, focusing on the delicacy of architectural interventions and their impact on the preservation of historical traces.
Heritage – Lecture series on Modern Heritage. September to December 2023, Université Laval, School of Architecture, Québec. Description: Organisation of a series of 15 online lectures on the restoration and conservation of built heritage. Organised in collaboration with ETSAM (Madrid), TUM (Munich), RomaTRE (Rome), UNIPA (Palermo), Sapienza (Rome), Politecnico di Bari (Bari) and POLIMI (Milan), the series brought together international professors and experts to discuss contemporary approaches to managing modern architectural heritage.
Espèces d’espaces – 10 exercises, 90 cities, 20 April 2023, Université Laval, School of Architecture, Québec. Description: Organisation of an exhibition of student work from the Winter 2023 architectural spatial construction course. Directed by Fabio Sedia, the exhibition highlighted the students’ proposed responses to contemporary architectural challenges in diverse urban contexts.
What leads to what? 22 October - 10 November 2023, Université Laval, School of Architecture, Québec City. Organization of an exhibition of student work from Studio 2, Winter 2023. The event showcased student projects exploring space and architecture, highlighting their engagement with architectural design and spatial innovation.
2022 – Lecture: Gio Ponti — Everything in the World Will Be Very Colourful. 24 March 2022, Université Laval, Québec City. Description: Presentation of Everything in the World Will Be Very Colourful, organised by Université Laval. The lecture explored the work of architect Gio Ponti, focusing on his innovative use of colour as a structuring element in modern architecture. As the main speaker, Fabio Sedia examined how Ponti revolutionised the design of modern spaces and influenced contemporary architecture.
Lecture: The Invention of Continuity. 10 May 2022, Récollets-Bâtisseurs, Québec. Description: Presentation of The Invention of Continuity, organised by Récollets Bâtisseurs. The talk explored the architectural reinterpretations of Villa Adriana over the centuries, highlighting its influence on modernity. As the speaker, I offered a critical analysis of the villa’s spatial and cultural continuity and the ways it has been reinterpreted in a contemporary context.
Roundtable: Modern Québec’s Built Environment — Defining a Cultural Memory, 24 November 2022, Université Laval, Québec City. Description: Organisation of and participation in a roundtable entitled Modern Québec’s Built Environment, promoted by Université Laval. The discussion explored tensions between cultural memory and contemporary urban planning, focusing on the work of architect Jean-Marie Roy.
2020 – Seminar: What Is an Exhibition? 14 May 2020, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy. Description: Presentation organised by the University of Rome Tor Vergata as part of the architectural drawing course (Prof. Giuseppina Cinque). The seminar explored the exhibition as an architectural tool, highlighting its role in cultural interpretation and the dissemination of architectural knowledge. As the main speaker, Fabio Sedia examined how exhibitions can construct and deconstruct architectural narratives.
International conference: Post-pandemic cities, 8-9 October 2020, University of Palermo, online. Description: Presentation of the talk Green beauty. The sustainable future of historic gardens, organized by the National Institute of Urban Planning (INU) and the University of Palermo in collaboration with the Sicilian Region. The talk addressed sustainable management strategies for historic gardens in a post-pandemic context. The critical analysis focused on adapting conservation practices to contemporary needs. Role: speaker.
Work: selection of 10 drawings for the exhibition Architecture and Art in Intimacy, 2020, Colegio Territorial de Arquitectos de Alicante, Torrevieja (Spain). Description: Participation in the exhibition Architecture and Art in Intimacy with a selection of 10 original drawings exploring the intimate relationship between the two disciplines. The works highlighted the capacity of architecture and art to create spaces for dialogue and interpretation, emphasising the importance of detail in shaping spatial and visual intimacy.
2019 – Study day: Rendezvous in the Garden, 1 June 2019, Villa Adriana and Villa d’Este, Tivoli, Italy
Description: Presentation of the talk Stories of an Extraordinary Nature at Villa Adriana and Villa d’Este, organized by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage (MiBACT) and the Villa d’Este Institute in collaboration with the Italian Association of Historic Parks and Gardens (APGI). As keynote speaker, he explored the evolution and management of Italian historic gardens, highlighting how they reflect changing cultural ideals and the challenges of preserving them amid an ecological crisis.
Work: selection of 10 drawings for the exhibition Architecture and Art, Colegio Territorial de Arquitectos de Alicante, Alicante (Spain). Description: A selection of 10 drawings was presented in the exhibition Architecture and Art, highlighting the interaction between these two creative practices. Through sketches and technical drawings, the works explored space, form and materiality, showing how architecture and art can enrich one another.
Work: Mail art for the 4aWOMAN exhibition — Censeo Group and 4aWOMAN Onlus association, 2019, Volume 33, Milan, Italy. Description: Participation in the 4aWOMAN exhibition with mail art based on female archetypes. The project sought to question and deconstruct gender stereotypes through graphic works, using the postal system as an artistic medium. The exhibition raised public awareness of women’s place in history and contemporary art.
International conference: Gardens in the Mirror of Travellers, 4 October 2019, Consortium of Royal Residences, La Venaria Reale, Turin. Description: Presentation of the talk Le Villae – things seen to the right and left (without glasses), organised by the Consortium of European Royal Residences in collaboration with the Association of European Royal Residences (ARRE), FAI and the Italian Parks and Gardens Association (APGI). The talk examined how European travellers, from classical antiquity to the present, have perceived and influenced the design of royal gardens. As a speaker, he explored tensions between conservation and modernisation through a critical historical analysis.
III Forum on Historic Gardens, 19–21 September 2019, Sintra, Portugal. Description: Presentation of a poster entitled Villa d’Este within the European Network of Historic Gardens, promoted by The European Network of Historic Gardens. The contribution explored contemporary challenges in the sustainable management of European historic gardens, particularly climate-related issues. Role: conservation project leader and presenter of findings on the management and enhancement of historic gardens.