By 2A+P/A

MAPS MODELS PICTURES brings together over fifteen years of research and experimentation by the architecture studio 2A+P/A — from architectural design to curatorial projects, from publications to art installations. The book aims to reaffirm the intellectual depth of architecture as a discipline that conveys ideas and values, reflecting both conflicts and negotiations that shape the collective experience. At its core is the belief that architecture can take many equally meaningful forms: buildings, books, videos, drawings, maps, models and pictures.

2A+P/A is an architectural firm founded in Rome by Gianfranco Bombaci and Matteo Costanzo. The office works on architectural, urban, and landscape design projects, with a distinct focus on the state of the contemporary city. However, they extend their research through publications, exhibitions, and teaching experiences, aiming to explore alternative destinies, narratives, and subjectivities. The studio’s approach to research is rooted in the exploration of other architectures, drawing from the rich and complex heritage of the field. This is not a philological sampling process but an exploration of the potentialities within architectural works that have demonstrated different and possible paths. 2A+P/A has participated in numerous national and international design competitions, receiving awards and mentions.

Their work has been featured in international publications such as: a+u, A+t, A10, Abitare, AD Architectural Design, Architectural Review, Archiworld, L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui, Domus, and Volume. They authored the monograph Alternative Destinies, published by the Korean publisher Damdi Publishing.

They continue their research through editorial initiatives, contributing to the architecture magazine San Rocco and managing CAMPO, a space dedicated to discussing, studying, and celebrating architecture in Rome, curating recently the book Zibaldone, published by Italian imprint Veii. The studio has presented projects and created site-specific installations for various international exhibitions, including the NAI in Rotterdam, the 14th, 13th, and 11th Venice Architecture Biennale, the 1st Orleans Architecture Biennale, the 2nd Seoul Architecture and Urbanism Biennale, the 5th Lisbon Architecture Triennale, and the 5th Brasilia Architecture Biennale. Their work has been showcased in solo exhibitions like Disegni e Progetti at the Antonia Jannone gallery in Milan, and Savage Architecture at the Architectural Association (AA) School of Architecture, London.

Both partners serve as Associate Lecturers from 2017 at the Royal College of Art, in the ADS10 unit, Savage Architecture, and, from 2022, as unit masters in Diploma 20 at the AA School of Architecture, London.