Professor of architecture and urban studies with an international academic and professional background spanning Europe and Japan. Her research has provided valuable insights into  new urban landscapes oriented toward promoting social values, health and the notion of public space. At UdeM, Professor Covatta focuses on interdisciplinary research and teching around three axes: (1) the integration of health in the architectural project, (2) the exploration of new urbanities in the context of globalization, and (3) the temporal urbanism of the city.

Alice graduated with honors from the IUAV University of Venice and a doctorate in architecture with the highest distinction from the University of Udine. In 2016, she obtained the Japan Foundation Fellowship postdoctoral fellowship. She subsequently worked as a researcher at Keio University in Tokyo until 2019. In this hyperdense city, her postdoctoral work focused on the habitability of its architecture and public spaces.

Since 2009, she has acquired professional experience in architecture and urban design (among others with Andrea Caputo, Kengo Kuma and Associates, Albert Abut Architecture),  earning several awards and distinctions. In 2018, she co-founded her own agency CoPE, which has been successful in various architectural competitions, including being awarded 1st prize for Europan14 “Productive Cities” 2019, focusing on the urban development of the city of New-Ulm, and the Europan16 “Living Cities” 2021, for a new residential sector in Wernigerode; both projects are underway.

Alice Covatta is currently a visiting professor at the co+lab: Urban Architecture Research & Design Laboratory, Keio University, a member of the Center for Urban Design and Mental Health and the JSAC Japan Studies Association of Canada, and director of MedialabAU. In Japan she was a contributor to  Domus magazine and a consultant for Warehouse TERRADA in Tokyo. Her works have been exhibited at the Venice Biennale and the MAXXI Museum in Rome, among other places.

Post-Doctorate 
2017, Architecture and Urban Studies, Keio University, Department of Systems Design Engineering (Japon) 

PhD Architecture and Urban Studies,
2015, University of Udine (Italy) 

Visiting researcher PhD 
2014, Architecture, Keio University (Japan) 

Master in Architecture Landscape
2010, IUAV, Venice (Italy) 

Programme Erasmus 
2007, Architecture, ENSA Paris-Belleville (France) 

Bachelor of Architecture
2007, IUAV, Venice (Italy)

Co-founder du bureau d'architecture Collective of Projects in Equipoise 

Responsable de la Charrette interuniversitaire La ville de 25h du CCA.

Comité EDI (Équité, diversité et inclusion).

Comité consultatif sur les bibliothèques.

Responsable Maîtrise en Design urbain 

Disponible pour la supervison de projet de doctorat. Contactez-moi directement par courriel pour toute question sur la supervision de votre projet.

Advisor City Space Architecture 

SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS (SELECTION) 

• Ikalović Vedrana, et Covatta Alice. 2023. Tokyo liminal spaces as a dispersed constellation of spatial identities. SAJ, Serbian Architectural Journal, 14_1. ISSN 1821-3952, e-ISSN2787-1908 
  Covatta Alice, and Ikalović Vedrana. 2022. Urban Resilience: A Study of Leftover Spaces and Play in Dense City Fabric. 14 (13514): 13514–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013514 
• Covatta Alice. The Urbanism of Play: the mutation of what is a necessity into a public amenity. In The right of the city édition spéciale de a+u Architecture and Urbanism, décembre 2021.
• Covatta Alice. Design strategies from industrial regeneration towards community health Learning from the Montreal ephemeral ecosystem. Sens Public. Mai 2022. http://sens-public.org/articles/1655/ ISSN 2104-3272 
• Covatta Alice. The Urbanism of Play: the mutation of what is a necessity into a public amenity, a+u Architecture and Urbanism Japon, décembre 2021.
• Covatta Alice. The monument for Fukuoka. A sensitive architecture to human emotions and economic prosperity, Aldo Rossi Perspective from the world, Il Poligrafo, 2020
• Covatta Alice. Planning a local and global foodscape: Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, Integrating Food into Urban Planning, pp.172-186, UCL PRESS, 2018

• Covatta Alice, From infrastructure to playground: the playable soul of Copenhagen, Journal of Urban Design and Mental Health, 2018:5, ISSN 2398-4082

• Covatta Alice, Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA Tsuruoka Cultural Hall, Domus 1022, pp.62-73, March, 2018

• Covatta Alice, Density and Intimacy in Public Space. A case study of Jimbocho, Tokyo’s book town, Journal of Urban Design and Mental Health, 3:13, 2017, ISSN 2398-4082

LIVRES, CHAPITRES DE LIVRES ET ARTICLES DE JOURNAUX (SELECTION) 

• Duguay-Lefebvre, Fannie, Simond, Clotilde, Latek, Irena, Covatta, Alice, and Carle, Alain. 2022. Ville Refuge : Les Espaces, Les Sujets Et Les Vécus De La Ville Refuge. Faculté de l'aménagement, Université de Montréal.

• Covatta, Alice. La persistance de l’éphémère, Le Devoir (interview par Stéphane Baillargeon) 

• Covatta, Alice. Engrais urbain : agencer l’espace quotidien dans la nouvelle urbanité. École d'architecture, Faculté de l'aménagement, Université de Montréal, 2022.

• Covatta Alice, Tokyo from 1964 to 2021: the “postponed” Olympic City, Domus Web, May 26, 2020 

• Covatta Alice, Better urban design could improve mental health: experts, Sydney News, November 7, 2019

• Covatta Alice, Female Topography, Search of Urban Quality: 100 Maps of Kuhonbutsukawa Street, Jiyugaoka, Mn’M edition Tokyo: Flick Studio and IKI, pp.51-68-69-72, 2014

CONFERENCE (SELECTION) 

• Covatta, Alice. Cartographier le territoire et l’exil. Entretiens Jacques-Cartier “Fabriquer l’hospitalité dans la ville refuge : une obligation positive”, Montreal 29 novembre 2022. 
• Covatta, Alice. Tokyo perspectives: a neighborhood in a building. Indian Ocean World Centre à McGill University, Montreal 23 novembre 2022.
• Modératrice "Réinventer la ville par le design" entre le Bureau du design de la Ville de Montréal,  Cité du design et Saint-Étienne Métropole, Entretien Jaques Cartier Montreal 2 novembre 2022.
• Covatta, Alice. A neighborhood in a building: Japanese perspectives to reduce social isolation in high density. The Healthy City Design International Congress and Exhibition 2022, à Londres, Royaume-Uni du 10 au 11 octobre 2022. 
• Covatta, Alice. Artifice and uncertainty of Parc-Extension, Exploring new strategies of equality in our increasingly unequal societies. RAIC-CCUSA Academic Summit on Architecture, juin 15 2022.
• Covatta, Alice. Tokyo from 1964 to 2021: the “postponed” Olympic City, Conférencier invité par la Japan Foundation, 11 mars 2022.
• Covatta, Alice. Stratégies d’aménagement temporaire et transitoire de l’espace public, Conférencier invité par le Bureau du design I Service du développement économique I Ville de Montréal, 23 février 2022
• Covatta, Alice. Learning from Montreal Ephemeral Ecosystem congrès "From Urban Voids to Generative Commons, Engagement and Impact, Infrastructures of Urban Commons, Urban commons in action," Université de Turin et Generative Commons project, 23 juin 2021
• Collaborative workspace: in between the third-space and non-lieu (non-place) avec la professeure Vedrana Ikalovic (Université Catholique de Lille), congrès Regions in Recovery E-Festival dans la session "The Different Functions of Collaborative Workspaces in Rural and Suburban Areas", 3 juin 2021
• WRLD CTY événement en ligne, panéliste pour Cities at Night, 2020.
• Performing the City symposium en ligne organisé par l’University of Sydney, modératrice de la session principale pour le Dr. Quentin Stevens, 2020.
• Conférence d’ouverture Place making for meaningful social connection in rapidly urbanising environment, UNSW Sydney, 2019.
• Conférence d’ouverture Integrating Health into Urban Planning towards Sustainable Development Goals in Developing Countries, Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), Kyoto University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2019.
• Panéliste au lancement du livre Integrating Food into Urban Planning, UCL University College London, 2019.
• Tokyo Playground. The Atlas of Emotional Infrastructure, UIA 2017 World Architects Congress, Seoul, 2017
• Tokyo Love affair, the interplay between the infrastructure and the common space, Visual Methods Conference: Visualising the City, Singapore, 2017
• Two Modes of Tokyo Temporalities. Shibuya and Taito under-construction everyday life, COHDA Human Development in Asia with Ikalovic Vedrana and Medina Ana, Hiroshima, 2017
• Meantime Shibuya. Potential and Opportunities of Temporal Common Spaces in Shibuya’s Urban Redevelopment, Management and Sustainability in a Globalized World with Ikalovic Vedrana and Medina Ana, Fukuoka, 2017
• Foodscape: informal place for sale and trade, the Second International Conference on Agriculture in an Urbanizing Society. Reconnecting Agriculture and Food Chains to Societal Needs, Rome, 2015
• Tsukiji: la cucina di Tokyo, Demanio Marittimo Km 278 edited by C. Colli and P. Ciorra, Senigallia IT, 2015

EXHIBITIONS

• Solo exhibition Yamanote-sen at Centro Culturale Candiani, Venice, 2016
• Tsukiji strip: Tokyo’s Pantry at "FOOD dal cucchiaio del mondo", MAXXI Museum, Rome, 2015
• The film entitled The Journey has been selected and screened for Cinecity Project 2015 in Melbourne, Australia, 2015
• Master degree thesis Microclimi and Macrostrutture has been displayed to Biennale de Paisatge Barcelona, 2010
• Studio project Archipelago has been shown at the Venice Biennale of Architecture [awarded by IUAV Venice], 2009
• Documentary Palast der Republik of Berlin was displayed during the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2009

OTHER ACTIVITIES

• Correspondent in Japan for the Italian architectural magazine Domus
• Referee for the scientific magazine Agribusiness Landscape and Environment (AP&A)