BRAC University hosts Italian architect Fabio Novembre
BRAC University hosted a lecture by Italian architect and designer Fabio Novembre – known for projects including the Lamborghini Museum and the AC Milan headquarters – at its Merul Badda campus in Dhaka on Tuesday, 31 March 2026.
Novembre founded Novembre Studio in 1994 with the philosophy that "architecture is a tool for storytelling". His studio has created designs for global brands including Kartell, Stuart Weitzman, Cappellini and Driade.
Named ambassador of Italian design for Bangladesh in 2026, Novembre is engaging with leading institutions and industries in Dhaka from 30 March to 2 April as part of the Embassy of Italy in Dhaka's observance of Italian Design Day 2026.
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Italian Design Day is an annual initiative of the Italian government that sends leading Italian professionals to countries around the world to highlight Italian design, creativity and innovation, and to foster opportunities for collaboration.
This year's theme – "RE-DESIGN: regenerating spaces, objects, ideas, relations" – is being observed in Dhaka in conjunction with the design exhibition Salone del Mobile, to be held in Milan from 21 to 26 April 2026.
The lecture marked the 155th event of BRAC University's Angan Lecture Series and was organised by the Department of Architecture under the School of Architecture and Design, in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in Dhaka.
Presenting his work to students, Novembre spoke about how design can convey feelings, stories and human identity. He encouraged students to develop their own design thinking, not to be discouraged by setbacks, and to draw inspiration from personalities they admire.
"Every person has unique qualities," he said, emphasising that educational institutions should identify and support those strengths so that individuals can flourish.
Responding to a question, Novembre said people should rely on themselves to identify solutions rather than expecting all answers from artificial intelligence. "AI can be helpful, but it is never a substitute for creativity – because every person is unique," he said.
Addressing the event, the Italian Ambassador to Dhaka, Antonio Alessandro, said the Italian Design Day initiative highlights design and architecture as tools to address challenges related to the environment, transportation systems, and cities.
Earlier, Novembre and Alessandro toured BRAC University's sustainable campus and described its architectural design as "groundbreaking". Vice-Chancellor Professor Syed Ferhat Anwar shared the university's mission and vision, including its aim to become one of the leading universities of the Global South.
The lecture was moderated by Professor Fuad Hasan Mallick, dean of the School of Architecture and Design.
Treasurer Ariful Islam, Registrar Dr David Dowland, Chairperson of the Department of Architecture Professor Zainab Faruqui Ali, Director of the Office of Communications Khairul Basher, faculty members, students and officials of the Italian embassy were present at the event.
