FONDAMENTA was born in 2016

FONDAMENTA founded and run by Francesca Betarice Gagliardi and Federico Rossi was born in 2016 and is based in Milan, Italy. Strong is the belief in research and experimentation applied to construction where building is the end to which architecture must strive to become itself and technology the tool used to reach this result. FONDAMENTA questions conventions and supports contradictions. The fascination for structure and freedom from dogma represent the premises for the research; Structure traces space, organizes the program, and generates the building. Governance of architecture through technology is believed to be the key to the creation of an organism. Technology drives efficiency, precision, and control through the entire process. FONDAMENTA tries to give shape to Economy and Energy, transforming them into space and proposing a holistic concept. FONDAMENTA has created buildings of different scales and functions which include the Cantina Vinicola dei 5 Sogni completed in 2020 in Monforte d’Alba, the first SO-LE studio flagship store in Milan in 2022, a Hospitality Masterplan of landscape infrastructures in Val di Noto, the metamorphosis of an unfinished transformed into a Villa also in Val di Noto in 2023 and since 2023 is working on a series of Residential, Hospitality and Mix use buildings in Albania, all soon entering in construction. FONDAMENTA in 2025 won the Prestigious Architectural Record Design Vanguard 2025 Award. FONDAMENTA believes in synergies between the professional and academic worlds. Invited to lecture in several institutions and to publish on international platforms, between 2022 and 2023 FONDAMENTA taught as an Academic Guest at the Zurich Polytechnic ETH with the course “The Economy of the Project”

Francesca Gagliardi was born in 1987 Milan, Italy. She studied Architecture at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, Switzerland gaining her diploma in 2012. She worked for Aires Mateus in Lisbon - Portugal, Ensamble Studio - Anton Garcia Abril in Madrid - Spain, and Christian Kerez, Zurich - Switzerland. In 2016, together with Federico Rossi, she co-founded FONDAMENTA.
In 2022 she was appointed as Academic Guest for 2 semesters at the ETH Zurich teaching the course The Economy of the Project. In 2023 and in 2024 she was Workshop leader at the International Workshop Porto Academy visiting Mendrisio and Barcelona.


Federico Rossi was born in 1987 Como, Italy.
He studiedHe studied Architecture at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, Switzerland and at KTH Stockholm, Sweden gaining his diploma in 2012.
In 2012 co-founded OSA, Associazione Studenti Accademia Mendrisio and in 2013 he co-published the research ATLAS How we Learn to stop Worrying and Love the Tradition. From 2013 to 2015 worked at Christian Kerez office, Zurich, being Project leader for international Projects. From 2015 to 2019 he has been Assistant at the ETH Zurich at Christian Kerez Chair. In 2016, together with Francesca Gagliardi, he co-founded FONDAMENTA.
In 2018, together with H. Killer, he was responsible for the International Workshop Project Berlin: 200.000 Housing Units organized by ETH Zurich + TU Berlin, based in Berlin, Germany. In 2019, together with J. Kacani, H. Killer, G. Ledermann, he has been responsible at the ETH Zurich of the design studio STUDIO PANORAMA: 14 Views on Contemporary Architecture. In 2022 he was appointed as Academic Guest for 2 semesters at the ETH Zurich teaching the design studio The Economy of the Project. In 2023 and in 2024 he was Workshop leader at the International Workshop Porto Academy visiting Mendrisio and Barcelona.

Collaborators
Nicholas Compagnoni, Luca Redaelli, Yuki Emond, Emanuel Sanchez, Francesco Toso, Beniamin Cassetta, Nasko Stefanov, Giuliano Coppola, Matteo Vitali, Ludovica Bertini, Lorenzo Arduini, Diana Spagnulo, Francesco Pusterla (BIM Manager), Francesco Telesa (Construction Manager), Mattia Peretti (Legal).