About us

Our journey to the edge of Space in search of new (architectural) forms of life started “way back” in 2017, developed over the years, and soon produced our new “creature” called Zeprojects, an innovative startup made in Bologna. In this small but great company, we have poured all our dreams, years of experience, passion, and enthusiasm. That same enthusiasm means that every day – no matter how difficult the path ahead of us – we strive to find the best way to deal with the present in search of an amazing future together.

Zeprojects stands for Zero Energy Projects because, in our ideal world, buildings are like natural power plants, organically integrated on the earth so the community can benefit from their fruits. At the helm of what our friends affectionately called “Ze” there are Francesca di Giacomo and Silvia Motori, two “forty-year-young” architects from Bologna, and the experience we have gathered for almost 20 years in the field, in Italy and abroad. We are passionate about architecture and design “from the spoon to the city”, in the words of Walter Gropius. Our job is also our greatest passion: we have gained a lot of hands-on experience, as well as invested a lot in training, both for ourselves and for our team.

Francesca di Giacomo, Co-founder & CEO – I graduated in Architecture in Genoa in 2006, then continued my studies at the Milan Polytechnic, where I further specialized in different aspects regarding environmental sustainability and architecture. Thanks to this experience I was able to get to know the work of several international architects, and I was particularly awestruck by Zaha Hadid’s organic architecture and by Francois Roche’s “machine learning” projects – so much so, that I call them the “virtual mentors” of my futuristic vision of architecture. I decided that all of this would make sense if I could manage to connect these two worlds – “fluid”, liquid architecture, and the most advanced technology – and manage to bring this new Einstein on the market. As you can imagine, the challenge was hardly simple; so, I decided to transcend my limits once again, and I enrolled in a specialization course in Business Administration to try and acquire all the vital information to create a successful business in the field. My job at Ze’ is to manage the marketing and communication side, as well as to develop the business.

Silvia Motori, Co-founder & Operations Manager – I graduated in 2005 in Building Engineering-Architecture in Bologna. After completing a Master’s in landscape design, I left for Arizona where I came across Paolo Soleri and his Arcosanti: that’s where my journey began… In the meantime, I worked for construction companies and professional firms in Bologna. My job in the company is to oversee the design and development of projects by coordinating the technical part, both in-house at Ze’ and with external partners, to ensure that every idea that we develop on paper takes shape in reality. I treat each project as a unique and unrepeatable story, a fairy tale where architecture is the synthesis of art, science, and craft, united through the experience and creativity of a multidisciplinary approach. I consider myself a narrator of places, and design is my language.