Success stories

Matteo is an Italian New Entrepreneur from Florence. Following his graduation he was looking for the best opportunity to start a career in architecture and thanks to a colleague and friend of his he came across the EYE programme. Having some experience from working only in a Florence-based architectural firm, he believed that the programme was the right way to enrich his knowledge and a useful starting point for his future own entrepreneurship. So during the months of lockdown in Italy he finally decided to take part in this experience. Contrary to Italian architectural practice in the Netherlands the building scene is more vital and opened to positive innovations. This was also the case of his Host, Remko Remijnse and his firm 2by4: a small office focused on prefabricated wooden architecture something that really fascinated Matteo and was always part of his academic interests.

The two entrepreneurs collaborated in multiple projects of the office spanning from a general to a more specific scale. In particular he was involved in the design of a private residence on a beautiful island both in the initial and the final phase of the design. Meeting the client and analysing their feedback was a real educational process for the NE. He discussed the problems with the HE always in an open and productive way and they came up with interesting solutions. He was also one of the members of the design team during an architectural competition. This was the occasion to interact more closely with all his colleagues and to face different ideas.

The variety of projects in Matteo was involved in gave him the possibility to challenge himself in all aspects of the entrepreneurial activity: from understanding the general work-flow of an architectural firm to very precise and detailed problem solving issues. Working in an international team made up of people with different backgrounds and experiences gave him the opportunity to learn how to deal with ideas and integrate them in a productive and positive way; especially in the context of a competition that is always very demanding and a bit stressful. Last but not least, working and living abroad even at a time of lockdowns and curfew is always a chance for personal growth.