Vignola Archives of Architecture / VAA is a research project on contemporary architecture based on a cross-examination of three leading factors: local materials, national heritage and international discourse. The work of Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola reconnects the region's specific industrial manufacturing with a global academic discourse. The project develops alongside the regeneration plan of Palazzo Contrari-Boncompagni, also known as Palazzo Barozzi: the future headquarter of this organization.

In the first year, explorations focused on the convergence among the production processes of large ceramic slabs and the architectural elements composing the Palazzo Contrari-Boncompagni of Vignola. Distinct practices involved the contribution of 25 international participants, divided into 5 groups and instructed by 5 designated tutors. Each team worked to synthesize a manufacturing operation in a fragment of architecture.