Under the vision of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the Higher Diploma in Traditional Product Development project, a collaboration between Politecnico di Milano and the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts of KSA (WRTH), aims to integrate traditional craftsmanship with modern design methodologies. The project employs a design-driven approach to empower local artisans and emerging designers, connecting heritage techniques with contemporary market demands and achieving a harmonious balance between cultural preservation and innovation.
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Dr. Prof. Marinella Ferrara
Founder and Coordinator
Professor of Industrial Design at the Politecnico di Milano, the founder and director of MADEC (Material Design Culture Research Centre), where she leads pioneering research at the intersection of design innovation and material science. She is also a member of the PhD Board in Design at the Politecnico di Milano, where she supervises theses on innovative materials, circular design, and the relationship between craftsmanship and design. Continue reading Dr. Prof. Marinella Ferrara
Dr. Beatrice Bianco
Research Fellow
Research Fellow at Politecnico di Milano, Project Coordinator in Design Education, and Former Founder and Director of Camp Design Gallery, she bridges the gap between historical academic inquiry and practical design in contemporary material culture. With a strong academic foundation in Archaeology and Ancient History from the École Pratique des Hautes Études and an MBA in Management of Cultural Events and the Art Market from Paris, she has consistently explored material culture across both historical and modern contexts.
Yi Sui
PhD Candidate
Yi sui is a Politecnico di Milano PhD candidate. Her research focuses on enhancing user experience through shape-change material. Continue reading Yi Sui
Jingyu Xu
PhD Candidate
Jingyu Xu is a Politecnico di Milano PhD candidate. Her research interests include ceramic design and theory research, recycling design, traditional culture redesign, and material innovation.
Zehan Shang
External Collaborator
Zehan Shang is an industrial designer and researcher exploring the intersections between traditional crafts and contemporary design. He gets his both Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Product Design from Politecnico di Milano.
Sara Bologna
External Collaborator
Sara Bologna is a designer, design consultant and researcher based in Milan.
Focusing on the anthropological and intangible aspects of material culture, she conceives artifacts as narrative mediums that can surface alternate sets of values, to steer systemic change. Her imagery is permeated with rituals, symbols, graffiti from the creases of pre-history, fragments of poems, and grimoires. All these inspirations are deconstructed and reconstructed based on iconographic, semantic and historical insight, and turned into objects through a narrative-driven approach.
WRTH Team’s Second Teaching Transfer at Politecnico di Milano
From January 13th to 17th, 2025, Dr. Reema Aldossari and Dr. Nadiah Alhumaid from the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts of KSA (WRTH) visited Politecnico di Milano for the second Teaching Transfer activity as part of the Higher Diploma in Traditional Product Development project. This visit built upon the foundation of the first transfer, offering an even richer and more immersive experience designed to deepen WRTH’s understanding of Politecnico’s design-driven methodologies and innovative teaching practices.
Continue reading WRTH Team’s Second Teaching Transfer at Politecnico di Milano
Teaching Transfer from Politecnico di Milano to WRTH in Riyadh
From September 8th to 12th, 2024, a project expert team from Politecnico di Milano, led by Dr. Marinella Ferrara and Dr. Francesco Ermanno Guida, traveled to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for an immersive Teaching Transfer with the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts of KSA (WRTH). Under the warm hospitality of Dr. Saber Marzougui, this event marked the first on-site teaching transfer of the Higher Diploma in Traditional Product Development project, directly bringing Polimi’s Design-Driven Methodology into Saudi classrooms.
Continue reading Teaching Transfer from Politecnico di Milano to WRTH in Riyadh
WRTH Team’s Visit to Politecnico di Milano – 2024
From July 8th to 10th, 2024, a team from the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts of KSA (WRTH), led by Dr. Hesham Maghrabi, visited Politecnico di Milano. This Teaching Transfer activity was part of the Higher Diploma in Traditional Product Development project, aiming to enhance teaching methodologies and refine future strategies through face-to-face exchange and practical insights.
Continue reading WRTH Team’s Visit to Politecnico di Milano – 2024