LEONE SPITA, (b. 1971), Ph.D., assistant professor at Sapienza – University of Rome since 2012, focuses his research activities on the architecture and the contemporary city in Central Asia and the Far East, in particular the relationship between the contemporary Japanese architecture and its relationship with the west, including the tradition and innovation in the Far Eastern architectural design. He is a member of TRAUM (Teorie e ricerche su architettura, urbanismo e mondo, as a part of the Department of Architecture and Design of Sapienza). Since 2002 he has been editor and news correspondent of the geo-architecture journal Abitare la Terra, where he regularly publishes his articles. From 2006 he also holds a cooperation with the editorial board of the architectural journal L’Industria delle costruzioni. He has contributed with a number of essays to the magazine Metamorfosi. Quaderni di Architettura and Area, as well. He started practice in 2003, working on exhibitions, interior designs and restorations of heritage buildings. In 2015 he founded SHIRO architetti (Studio House Interiors Rome).
Since 2005 he carried out research activities at the Lapex (Laboratorio di Progettazione per i Paesi Extraeuropei del DiAP - Sapienza) and since 2013 at Traum (Teorie e ricerche su architettura, urbanismo e mondo) on the following issues:
- Trends of contemporary Japanese Architecture (cfr. Architettura e sperimentazione in Giappone, in «l’industria delle costruzioni», n. 404 nov./dic. 2008, pp.132);
- Tradition and innovation in architectural design in the Far East (cfr. Expo Shangai 2010, in «Abitare la Terra», n. 27, 2010, pp. 34-35 e Terunobu Fujimori: spazi in attesa, in «Abitare la Terra», n. 30, 2012, pp. 10-21).
Since 2003 he opened his own firm. His main field of experimental research focuses on:
- built interior design work in some Roman interiors (casa A0-A1-A3-A4-A5-A8);
- restoration and conservation (“Villa Le Sentinelle”, XVII sec. Florence);
- working with recycled material in three exhibitions) (Nurnberg, Germany).
Assigned the role of Investigator in a research project financing the Ateneo Federato: “La città moderna in Cina” (2006); “Dal tipo al diagramma, dal diagramma al tipo: ruolo della tipologia nell’architettura contemporanea” (2007); and a research project financing Sapienza Università di Roma: “Definizione dei criteri guida di intervento per il restauro dei monumenti laterizi in Cina. Teoria e prassi in un’esperienza operativa sviluppata attraverso la collaborazione universitaria tra Italia e Cina” (2010-2011).
Principal Invistagator Investigator in a research project financing the Ateneo Sapienza:” Architettura tra due mari. Radici e trasformazioni architettoniche e urbane in Russia, Caucaso e Asia centrale.
He has organized three workshops with the Tokyo University on urban Requalification between Tradition and Innovation (2006-2007-2014).
As assistant supervisor, he curated theses at the Dipartimento di Studi Orientali della Facoltà di Lettere e della Facoltà di Architettura di Sapienza Università di Roma.
As part of the Graduate Thesis Laboratory in Scienze dell’Architettura, he curated theses (SA) on deterioration and abandonment as opportunities for the Design of Architecture.
As part of four Doctorate theses in Composizione Architettonica (Teorie dell’Architettura), Sapienza Università di Roma, for which he served as assistant supervisor, he assisted with:
an analysis of the traditional Japanese spatial concepts of ma, en and oku in the architecture;
the role of experimental technologies in the design of architecture.
Since 1997 he realises educational videos for the teaching of Architecture.
Public competition for the awarding of a contract for professional services related to teaching module and Laboratori at Sapienza Università di Roma (2007-2012) and Università degli Studi di Sassari - Facoltà di Architettura di Alghero (2008).
Since 2012 is owner of Design Workshop II - Bachelor of Science in Architecture.