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The Department

The Department of Design is the leading Italian centre for scientific research in the field of design. Rooted in the Italian design culture, it is oriented towards exploring new disciplinary frontiers.

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A person, viewed from behind with dark hair tied back and a knotted scarf, carefully observes a large exhibition wall covered in a regular grid of material samples. The light-wood display board holds dozens of small white sheets, each featuring a different textile or organic fragment: subtle weaves, translucent amber films, porous or braided surfaces are distinguishable in shades ranging from dark brown to ochre, alongside geometric or textured patterns. Each sample is accompanied by a text label underneath, evoking the atmosphere of a textile design laboratory, a biomaterials research center, or the archive of a fashion atelier where new creative and sustainable solutions are studied and classified.

DIPARTIMENTI DI ECCELLENZA

Design for Systemic Change

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Compasso d’Oro ADI 2026

Recognising Excellence in Design and Design Culture at Politecnico di Milano

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Design Week 2026

Politecnico di Milano Design System initiatives and events

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Crowd of people walking and gathering inside a bright exhibition space during Milan Design Week, with colorful booths and large signage in the background

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Territori

The cuisine of Aimo and Nadia becomes a cultural project

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A press conference at Politecnico di Milano regarding the collaboration with Aimo e Nadia restaurant. The main screen displays the "Verso TERRITORI" dish with the question: "What happens if we read cooking as a design practice?". A panel of experts discusses on stage in front of the audience.

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Materials Dialogues in Iceland: when the river and the ocean meets

A biomaterials workshop within the Horizon Europe Tracks4Crafts project.

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A group of people walks across a dark pebble beach partially covered in snow, heading towards the seashore. They are wearing heavy winter clothing, including colorful parkas and beanies. In the background, the calm sea sits under an overcast sky, with the silhouette of snowy mountains in the far distance.

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Trame Locali: Narrating, Imagining, Inhabiting

An Experiment in Collective Intelligence

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Row of screens on a table with headphones, displaying different videos in an exhibition space with bookshelves in the background

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NetZeroCities learning programs

Leading cities toward climate neutrality

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A group of people attending a workshop or seminar in a bright, spacious room with a sloped ceiling and skylights. Participants are seated at several tables arranged for group work, with notes and sticky notes visible. In the background, a screen displays a technical presentation

News and events

Pharmaceutical recovery project

From June 3 to June 11, 2026, at B7, Bovisa Durando Campus

Pharmaceutical Collection with Banco Farmaceutico

From June 3 to June 11, 2026, a pharmaceutical collection initiative in collaboration with Banco Farmaceutico will take place at Bovisa Durando Campus, building B7. It will be possible to donate unexpired medicines for charitable organizations.

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Milan Green Week

June 13 2026, 10:00 am – 10:00 pm, green area surrounding the padel courts at the Bovisa Durando nCampus, entrance from Via Privata Giampietrino 4, Milan

GOCCIA Fest 26 - La Natura si fa Spazio

A day, during Green Week, dedicated to exploring urban biodiversity and the relationship between cities, people, and nature.

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La Notte degli Archivi

June 5, 2026, 6:30 pm, Associazione Archivio Enrico Crispolti Arte Contemporanea APS, via Livenza 2, Rome

ARCHIVISSIMA. Dalla partecipazione all’ambiente come sociale attraverso i documenti dell’Archivio Enrico Crispolti

Exhibition of archival documents and related initiatives as part of Archivissima.

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Book presentation

May 27, 2026, 7:00 pm, Triennale Milano - Centro Cuore, Viale Emilio Alemagna 6, Milan

NOT FOR HER. AI Revealing the Unseen

Discussion on artificial intelligence and gender inequalities inspired by the volume "NOT FOR HER. AI Revealing the Unseen".

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Open Polifactory

From October to February, 2025-2026, Polifactory, B3 Building, Bovisa Durando Campus, Milan

Future Food Habits

A series of events to explore complex issues in contemporary design research. 

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marchiedisegniUE project

May 25, 2026, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, MADE Competence Center, Building B8, Bovisa Durando Campus, Milan

Protecting Sustainable Innovation for Made in Italy

The event is dedicated to the protection of sustainable innovation in Made in Italy, with particular attention to the strategic role of industrial property — design, trademarks, and patents — as a key driver of business competitiveness.

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DiGRA Italia Talks Series

From March 9, 2026, Online

Game & IDN Talks Series

Series of open lectures on Interactive Digital Narratives and Games in collaboration with DiGRA Italia.

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Photo exhibition

From 13 May 2026 to 16 October 2026, Spazio Mostre Archivi Storici, Building B1, Bovisa Campus Campus, via Candiani 72, Milan

Ritratti/Portraits

An exhibition that explores the face as both document and interpretation, offering an original way of reading the materials preserved in the archives of the Politecnico di Milano.

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Open lectures

Building B2, Campus Bovisa Durando, Milan

IDOL project

A series of open lectures dedicated to interior design

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DDC INCONTRA

May 18, 2026, 5:00 pm, Sala Bucci, Building B1, Bovisa Durando Campus, Milan

Progetto Grafico Journal: la nuova fase editoriale

Fourth appointment in the DDC INCONTRA series, conceived as an opportunity for exchange and discussion on the rationale behind the project, its lines of work, and the directions of a journal undergoing renewal.

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Design Labs

Design Lab System

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A professional television set features a man with glasses in a dark jacket, positioned in front of a bright blue backdrop inside a recording studio. The environment is equipped with LED light panels mounted on stands and reflectors strategically placed to illuminate the subject, while in the foreground, the dark silhouettes of the crew and a camera mounted on a tripod framing the scene are visible. On the left, a heavy dark curtain blocks out external light, while on the right, next to the set, a chair and technical equipment can be seen, highlighting the complex preparation behind a video production.

Design Lab System

Fashion

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A small wooden and black fabric dress form dominates the foreground, with a piece of dark cloth elegantly draped over its shoulders. In the blurred background, several students are focused on manual work around large wooden tables in a bright fashion laboratory. The workspace is dotted with tools of the trade, including white paper patterns, rollers, and blue folders, creating an atmosphere of intense creative activity and craftsmanship.

Design Lab System

Prototypes and Exhibit

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A specialized operator, wearing a blue apron with the words "STAFF DESIGN X DESIGNER," is focused on using a precision drill press inside a mechanical workshop. The man, protected by safety glasses and work gloves, fixes his gaze on the piece of wood he is drilling, while a small group of students closely observes the technical demonstration. The setting is spacious and well-lit by rows of LED lights on the industrial ceiling, with shelving and woodworking materials visible in the background, giving the space a laboratory and educational feel.

Design Lab System

Design Competence Center- Pilot Lab

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