Brief Introduction

Graduated in architecture in Roma Tre University, Saverio Silli worked as an architect, while pursuing the academic career as a lecturer in Roma Tre’s School of Architecture, for the classes “Visual Communication Design” and “Graphic Representation Methods”.

He has been an active member of Italian’s maker community since 2012, giving birth to the first two Fablabs in Rome. In 2015 he moved to Milan to enroll in the Fab Academy course directed by Neil Gershenfeld, director of MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms.

After graduation as a Digital Fabrication Specialist he became the local instructor for Fab Academy in Fablab WOMA in Paris, France, and since December 2016 he is the Director of Courses and now Vice-Director at Fablab Shanghai in Tongji University’s College of Design and Innovation, working as an instructor and community manager, and conducting researches on personal fabrication, design innovation, new materials and physical ideation.

He has organized digital fabrication workshops in Rome, Milan, Paris, Seoul, Shenzhen, Xi’an, Boston and he is an active member of the international fablab network.

Research

Digital and personal fabrication as a tool of citizen science, new materials and sustainability.

The use of digital fabrication techniques and the Fablab environment to help and conceive the process of thinking and ideas generation in co-design. The current and evolving state of Fablabs and Makerspaces in China and of the Chinese maker’s movement.

Teaching

• Studio 5 - Urban Nature and Fabrication

• Studio 5 - Electronic production for Designers

• Studio 5 - Food and Materials

• Fab Academy - How to make (Almost) anything

Education Background

• Fab Foundation, Fabricademy (Textile Academy) at Fablab Shanghai, 2018 Fabricademy is a transdisciplinary course that focuses on the development of new technologies applied to the textile industry.

• Fab Foundation, Fab Academy at Fab Lab Opendot, Milan, 2015 Fab Academy is the Digital Fabrication diploma based on MIT’s class “How to make (almost) anything”.

• Roma Tre University, School of Architecture, Rome, 2008 Bachelor's Degree in Architecture.

• Chalmers Tech University, School of Architecture, Göteborg, Sweden, 2004  

Work Experience

• Fab Academy Guru @ Fab Foundation, Boston, MA, USA Jun 2016 - ongoing

• Local Instructor @ Fab Foundation / Fab Academy, Volumes / WOMA, Paris, France Feb 2016 - Jun 2016

• Design Expert @ Maker Faire Rome, European edition, Rome Oct 2013/14/15/16

• Teaching assistant @ Roma Tre University, School of Architecture, Rome Mar 2011 - Oct 2016

• Architect, Product Designer, Digital Fabrication specialist Mar 2009 - ongoing

• Modelmaker @ Archdelta, Scale Models and Prototypes Firm, Rome Nov 2009 - Jun 2012  

• Co-Founder @ Spaghetti Prop, Propmaking and Set Dressing Firm, Rome Feb 2007 - Dec 2016

Design

A simplified version of the popular Arduino microcontroller, developed in Fablab Shanghai. It allows students of any age to learn electronic production, PCB soldering, programming and prototyping a circuit in a fun and engaging way, assembling the device in full autonomy.

Publications 

Grütter Ghisi, Purini, F., & Silli, S. (2015). Architettura e rappresentazione: alcune questioni. Kappa.