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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.

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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

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COLTA’s contribution to social collective catering.

From food distribution to the construction of community welfare

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Meet our researchers

Elisa Giaccardi

More than human design

I am Elisa Giaccardi, my research explores how design can incorporate a non-human perspective.

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Mariana Ciancia

Trasmedia Design

My name is Mariana Ciancia and I am a researcher at the Department of Design, Politecnico di Milano. I studied at the Politecnico di Milano, graduating in Communication Design, and obtaining my PhD in Design. I 'm member of Imagis Lab and I have worked here for around 10 years, interrupted only by a short period abroad at the Aalto University Media Lab where I had the opportunity to explore some of the key topics of my research.

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Giovanni Maria Conti

DIGIKNIT. The digitised MF1 historical archive

DIGIKNIT is a project to digitise the most important historical collection of Italian-made knitted garments to develop innovative digital services that can foster the creative process and give new life to manufacturing in the knitwear sector..

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