With a background in architecture and professional experience in the design of luxury villas and estates, I entered academia out of a need to interrogate the tensions between the practice of design, the construction industry, and the environment.
Centring my enquiry on a critical reappraisal of the villa typology, my research has brought me to the intersection of architectural history, construction, and the environmental humanities. My methodology is informed by these three fields and driven by a strong commitment to incorporating fieldwork and photography as primary sources, alongside drawings, interviews, and literary materials, in the study of buildings and the actors behind their planning, design, and construction.

I hold a PhD in Architectural History, Theory, and Criticism from EPFL, where I completed my dissertation, Villa-mania: The Project of the Seaside Villa Ideology in Postwar Italy (1953–1973), which was awarded distinction and nominated for the Doctoral Programme Award in 2026.  Within the Institute of Architecture at EPFL, I taught at the Bachelor's level, supervised Master’s theses within the TPOD Lab, and served as one of the editors of Burning Farm Journal. Between 2023 and 2025, I acted as a PhD representative, co-founded the collective Quatre, and launched the first edition of Doc. Days EDAR, a cross-laboratory doctoral seminar series.My writing has been published in both peer-reviewed journals and national newspapers. I am one of the 2026 recipients of the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) Annual Graduate Fellowship.

Prior to joining EPFL, I worked as. fully qualified architect (RIBA Part 3) at Herzog & de Meuron and Foster + Partners, while also indioendent freelance refurbishment projects. I trained in architecture at the London Metropolitan University, the Architectural Association School, and  Westminster University in London. 







For collaboration or to request my architecture portfolio, you can contact me here:

michela.m.bonomo@gmail.com
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