Design Week 2025

The Polimi Design System (School of Design, Department of Design and POLI.Design) presents "INTERDEPENDENCE: exploring opposites", a set of initiatives to reflect on how design interacts with contrasting polarities and dimensions, through a selection of projects by students from Politecnico and a network of around 40 design universities worldwide.

INTERDEPENDENCE is a diffuse event related to the fabric of the city, taking place in three main venues - Fabbrica del Vapore, Campus Bovisa Durando and Salone Satellite - and other places around the city.

An interdisciplinary team of students from the School of Design collaborated on the exhibition, which also developed the visual identity that serves as a common thread throughout the venues.


The three main venues:

INTERDEPENDENCE @ FABBRICA DEL VAPORE

Exhibition

Location: Fabbrica del Vapore, Via Giulio Cesare Procaccini 4, Milano

Date: April 5 - 15 (April 6, 10:00 - 19:00 / April 7 - 13, 10:00 – 22:00 / 14, 15, 10:00 - 19:00 / April 14 - 15, 10:00 - 19:00)

Opening: Saturday, April 5, 17:00

At the Fabbrica del Vapore, INTERDEPENDENCE takes the form of an international exhibition, bringing together projects by students from Politecnico di Milano and a selection of design universities worldwide. The exhibition showcases projects through visuals, prototypes and videos, and is further enriched by a diverse program of initiatives, including talks, workshops, performances, and networking activities.

Talk: UNVEILING FUTURES. Interaction Design Beyond the Human

Date: April 11

• 18:00 Digital and Interaction Design by Davide Spallazzo
• 18:10 Mobility Futures by Marco Ajovalasit
• 18:20 More-than-human Bodies by Elisa Giaccardi

An interactive session that peeks beyond the horizon of today, offering a window into the possible futures of humanity and our entanglements with the environment. From the future of mobility to radical visions of multispecies governance, this session will traverse the evolving landscape of design—moving from human-centred approaches to more-than-human ways of thinking and making.

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DESIGNXDESIGNERS @ POLIMI CAMPUS BOVISA

Exhibition

Opening: Wednesday, April 9, 13:30

Location: Campus Bovisa Candiani, via Durando 10, Milano

Date: April 9 - May 29 (mon - sat, 9:00 - 19:00)

At the Campus Bovisa Durando, INTERDEPENDENCE is interpreted through the DesignXDesigners exhibition, which showcases works by students from various study programs at the School of Design of Politecnico di Milano.

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INTERDEPENDENCE @ SALONE SATELLITE

Exhibition

Location: Rho Fiera Milano, Corso Italia, Rho, Stand A10

Date: April 8 - 13, 9:30 - 18:30

At the SaloneSatellite, INTERDEPENDENCE is present with a monographic selection of eight experimental and thought-provoking communication design projects, titled “Anthropogenic Scenarios”, encouraging visitors to reflect on the relationship between Human / More than Human, and between Artificial / Natural.

THE PALIMPSEST

Many other initiatives that will take place during the Design Week 2025 involve Professors and Researchers from the Department of Design, including:

ANTHROPOGENIC SCENARIOS

Nature vs Human Matters: Narratives through Design

Exhibition

Location: Salone Satellite, Fiera Milano, Rho

Eight experimental communication design projects designed to provoke. Eight speculative questions inviting visitors to reflect on the complex relationship between nature and humankind. Eight interactive artifacts exploring urgent issues of our time—born from an educational journey that embraces risk, innovation, and the pursuit of new solutions. These eight design speculations do not seek to provide answers or certainties. Instead, they challenge us to imagine new questions and rethink both the present and the future.

The selected projects examine the opposition between nature, understood as a living entity, and humankind, which tries to govern it while remaining at its mercy. The natural elements that escape control and the human being who intends to exploit them establish a dialogue through communication machines: digital devices meant to provoke users, inviting them to reflect on the complex relationship between nature and humans.

Anthropogenic Scenarios is the result of several years of research and experimentation within the Communication Design Final Synthesis Studio C1, a class in which speculative design is used to explore urgent issues of our time — an educational journey that embraces risk, innovation and the pursuit of new solutions. Laboratory is led by Francesco E. Guida, Pietro Buffa di Castelalto, Alessandro Masserdotti e Giacomo Scandolara.

The exhibition is curated by Enrico Isidori, Martina Esposito e Claudia Tranti.

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URBAN WORKPLACE SCENARIO

Spatial e Speculative Design to design new work spaces

Exhibition

Location: G-Gravity Hub, Via Legnone 4, Milan

The works of the students who participated in the New Interiors 2024/2025 Studio will be exhibited at the Hub G-Gravity in Milan. The laboratory, led by professors Marco Bencivenga, Barbara Camocini, Francesca Foglieni, Michele Zini and tutors E. Torreggiani and C. Segala, is part of the Master's Degree Course in Interiors and Spatial Design at the School of Design.

The projects present a scenario of a space dedicated to collaborative work, in an urban environment, intended for knowledge workers of the near future. The design approach combines Spatial and Speculative Design, in order to reflect on how ongoing social, environmental and technological changes can manifest themselves at the level of the designed space and influence the behaviour, modes and places of work.

The project is set in G-Gravity's Hub dedicated to innovation in the healthcare sector, inside the ex-Italcima building in via Legnone 4, designed in the 1930s by architect Giò Ponti with Luciano Baldessari.

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DESIGN IS COURAGE

Exhibition

Location: Palazzo Litta, Corso Magenta 24, Milan

Date: April 7 - 13, 10:00 - 20:00

The exhibition, curated by Michele De Lucchi, Francesca Balena Arista and Marco De Santi, with organizing coordination by Nicolò Chierichetti and video by Francesco Clerici, shows a selection of “environmental object” designed by the students of the Landscape and Interior Spatial Design Studio.

The project focuses on the theme of courage, understood as designing beyond conventions. “The designer we want – explains Michele De Lucchi – is the one who continuously challenges dominant styles, who eschews reasoned bon ton, who knows how to involve himself in the boldest experiments.

The event, organized by MoscaPartners, is free, upon registration.

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ARTE E DESIGN

Exhibition and Talk

Location: Via Francesco Sforza 4, Milan

Date: April 11, 18:00

Artist Umberto Mariani will present his paintings at the Rossi di Albizzate showroom, where the creative heritage of the historic furniture company will be showcased. During his talk, the artist will illustrate his 65 years of work, which have led to an artistic journey of great depth.

The relevance of this intersection between Art and Design is evidenced by the attention drawn to the thesis titled "Sfila il Design. Gli oggetti allarmanti di Umberto Mariani ", by Carlotta Schiavone, a graduate student in Interior Design, with Professor M. Teresa Feraboli as her advisor and Dr. Valentina Marchetti as co-advisor.

Umberto Mariani’s works, a representative of Italian Pop Art, are gathered in the series "Gli Oggetti Allarmanti ". These pieces depict design objects inspired by some of the most famous furnishings of the 1960s, such as the iconic "Tuonela " armchair.

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DESIGN D'IMPRESA A MISURA DI BAMBINO

Exhibition and Talk

Location: Assolombarda Milano, Via Chiaravalle 8, Milan

Date: April 10, 17:30

The School of Design, in collaboration with Assolombarda and Artwood Academy, presents the prototypes created by the students during Wood Design Course in the Department's Labs. The event will be opened by Luciano Caspani, President of Gruppo Design e Arredo, Assolombarda, and Luigi Mettica, General Director of Fondazione ITS Rosario Messina - Artwood Academy. Opening greetings will be followed by a talk given by students from Artwood Academy and Politecnico di Milano. The discussion will be moderated by Giulia Guerra, Editor-in-Chief of Matrix4Design.

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ACTUATED KNIT//TEXTILEMORPHOSIS

Textile innovation for sustainable architecture

Installation

Location: Viale Monza 91, Milan

Date: April 7 - 13, 10:00 - 18:00

The TextilesHUB – Textile Architecture Network, an interdisciplinary laboratory of the DABC - Department of Architecture, Built Environment, and Construction Engineering at Politecnico di Milano, presents an installation that merges academic research and practical applications to rethink the future of buildings.

The exhibition, stemming from the results of the MUSA project - Living Lab Too Cool to Go Wasted, explores the integration of ultra-lightweight textile construction systems and advanced technologies, focusing on circularity, aesthetics, and the transformability of built environments.

Among the exhibited works, the Extending Boundaries project, developed by the Knitdesign.polimi research group from the Department of Design at Politecnico di Milano, explores the potential of textile design. Through the use of links stitches, a knitting technique that combines knit and purl stitches, the fabric gains three-dimensionality and elasticity, allowing it to adapt to architectural structures without relying on synthetic elastic fibers.

An opportunity to explore the construction technologies of the future, combining innovation and sustainability.

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RETHINKING SURFACES

Discussion panel

Location: Viale Santa Sofia 27, Milan

Date: April 4, 18:00 - 19:30

The panel will be hosted by Ventana and the School of Design of the Milan Polytechnic. Experts will explore how screens are evolving from separate objects to integral design elements. A student project launch will also introduce new applications for Ventana’s technology in interiors and furniture

Open Lectures

Location: Aula Castiglioni, Campus Durando, via Durando 10, Milan

Date: April 7, 14:15 - 15:00

Open Lecture with students of Polimi at Durando Campus.

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VECTORS AND VERTICES

Exhibition

Location: Officine Boiardo, via Matteo Maria Boiardo 6, Milan

Date: April 8 - 12, 10:00 - 18:00 / April 13, 10:00 - 13:00

This exhibition connects designers from Politecnico di Milano and TUDelft. It will be an all-around experience where you will walk into what your future apartment could look like. Vectors and Vertices provides possible answers to the future of the domestic space, with relation to products and user experience.

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TRIANGULAR

Exhibition

Location: Campus Durando, via Durando 10, Milan

Date: April 9, 16:00

This exhibition connects designers from Politecnico di Milano and TUDelft and DeLonghi Group with Braun Household partnership, exploring future cooking opportunities. First presented at MAK Frankfurt, Germany in February 2024 and followed in October 2024 at TU Delft, now ending the presentations in Politecnico di Milano - School of Design.

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BEYOND WASTE

Exhibition

Location: Materioteca, Campus Durando, Via Giuseppe Candiani 72, Milan

Date: April 1 - 11

The exhibition presents five student projects developed during the course Materials for Transition, proposed by PhD student and research fellow Sofia Soledad Duarte Poblete and professor Valentina Rognoli, and part of the Master in Designing for Sustainable Transition.

Held at the Material Library – Materioteca – at Durando Campus, Politecnico di Milano, this small yet thought-provoking exhibition offers a glimpse into new material imaginaries envisioned by young designers.

By blending theoretical foundations with hands-on experimentation, students explored how materials can act as agents of change in design. Emphasis was placed on alternative resources, local sourcing, and non-industrial production methods, fostering a slower, more situated approach to design that values meaning, experience, and relationality.

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INCONTRI SULLA GRAFICA EDITORIALE. IERI, OGGI, DOMANI

Talk

Location: Room B2.1.1, B2 Building, Durando Campus, via Candiani 72, Milan

Date: April 10, 9.30

An event dedicated to editorial graphics and its evolution over time, featuring talks by industry experts:

• 9:30 - 10:30 | Libri e spazi ibridi by Susanna Vallebona e Cecilia Bianchini
• 10:40 - 11:40 | Editoria e illustrazione by Guido Scarabottolo e Camilla Pilotto
• 11:50 - 12:50 | Responsabilità in una vera specializzazione: politica, cultura e nuovi processi by Anna Steiner e Federica Bardelli

Moderators: Daniela Anna Calabi, Elena Caratti, and Anna Steiner.

The event is organized by the School of Design, in collaboration with the Degree Program in Communication Design, and the research group Dcom + Dcom AI Lab – Communication Design Cultures and Systems.