The journey towards the next edition of Cersaie also passed through Genoa. Among the most anticipated stops of Road to Cersaie, the travelling series of meetings dedicated to architects, designers, real estate operators and general contractors, the Ligurian capital welcomed one of the most authoritative figures in contemporary international architecture: Odile Decq.
The conference, held on 6 June in the Sala delle Grida at Palazzo della Borsa, was part of the Design Talk Festival, the series of events dedicated to design culture that accompanies Genova Design Week and, now in its third edition, has established itself as one of the leading forums for dialogue on architecture, cities and contemporary culture.
A leading figure on the international scene, Odile Decq has developed a radical and instantly recognisable design language over time, capable of combining rigour, experimentation and compositional freedom. Through a direct and deeply personal narrative, the French architect retraced some of the most significant experiences of her practice, presenting architecture as a cultural and critical discipline, constantly engaging with the social, urban and environmental transformations of the present.
🎥 The full conference by Odile Decq is available online on the PLATFORM Architecture and Design YouTube channel. Click here to watch it.
Her lecture highlighted the role of design as a tool for interpreting reality and, at the same time, as a device capable of generating new forms of relationship between people, spaces and communities. This reflection runs throughout Decq’s work, from her architectural projects to her academic and research activities, and also finds expression in the Confluence Institute for Innovation and Creative Strategies in Architecture, the international school she founded in Lyon in 2014, dedicated to an interdisciplinary vision of design.
The conference was followed by a conversation with Alfonso Femia, President of the Fondazione Le Città del Futuro and co-curator of the Design Talk Festival together with Simona Finessi, and Angelo Dall’Aglio, Chief Operating Officer of Cersaie, exploring the relationship between design research, innovation and the cultural responsibility of contemporary architecture.
Institutional greetings were delivered by Aldo Daniele, Vice President of the Order of Architects of Genoa, partner and supporter of the initiative.
Odile Decq’s participation represented one of the most significant moments of the 2026 edition of the Design Talk Festival, confirming Road to Cersaie’s ability to travel across Italy and give voice to the protagonists of contemporary architecture, creating opportunities for dialogue between international visions and design cultures.
