Tag Archives: featured

Activities, Teaching

Radical Design as a Critical Practice

A lecture within the Critical Histories of Furniture Design course (Politecnico di Milano × WRTH)

What if furniture could speak—and challenge the way we live?
As part of the Critical Histories of Furniture Design course, one of the core modules within the Politecnico di Milano × وِرث | wrth (Riyadh) Master in Heritage-based Furniture Design Program, students and WRTH colleagues joined a special session exploring Radical Design and why it still matters today.
We were delighted to welcome two Italian speakers invited by Prof. Beatrice Bianco: Franco Audrito, founder of Studio65 s.r.l and Maria Cristina Didero, international design curator. Continue reading Radical Design as a Critical Practice →

Activities, News

Heritage, AI, and Cross-Cultural Design Dialogues at Salone del Mobile.Milano in Riyadh

How are cultural heritage and artificial intelligence reshaping the future of design education across global contexts?

Prof. Francesco Zurlo, Dean of the School of Design at Politecnico di Milano, and Prof. Marinella Ferrara, Coordinator of MADEC Research Team, were invited to attend Salone del Mobile.Milano in Riyadh and its three-day cultural programme “Red in Progress”.

Continue reading Heritage, AI, and Cross-Cultural Design Dialogues at Salone del Mobile.Milano in Riyadh →

Activities

Designing Speculative Futures with the Senses and AI

Workshop facilitated by Paulo Eduardo Tonin

On 25 November, Paulo Eduardo Tonin, visiting PhD researcher at Politecnico di Milano and member of MADEC, conducted the workshop “Designing Speculative Futures with the Senses and AI” at the Department of Design. Responding to the increasing need for designers to imagine futures that are technologically grounded, emotionally resonant, and culturally inclusive, the workshop examined how multi-sensory design strategies—combined with AI-driven speculative imagination—can expand the capacity to envision hybrid “phygital” spaces where physical and digital layers coexist through human experience.

Continue reading Designing Speculative Futures with the Senses and AI →

News

WRTH and Politecnico di Milano Launch the Master in Traditional Furniture Design in Riyadh

Design as an Active Interpreter of Cultural Heritage

[Italiano di seguito]

The MADEC research group of the Department of Design at Politecnico di Milano announces the launch of the Master in Traditional Furniture Design, an innovative educational program aimed at building a bridge between contemporary design innovation and the rich cultural heritage of Saudi Arabia.

Continue reading WRTH and Politecnico di Milano Launch the Master in Traditional Furniture Design in Riyadh →

News

A Shared Milestone: Celebrating the First Graduates of the Higher Diploma in Traditional Product Development

[Italiano di seguito]

The MADEC research group of the Department of Design at Politecnico di Milano proudly celebrates the graduation of the first cohort of the Higher Diploma in Traditional Product Development, a program developed in collaboration with the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts (WRTH) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Continue reading A Shared Milestone: Celebrating the First Graduates of the Higher Diploma in Traditional Product Development →

Teaching

Co-designing of Teaching Contents with The Royal Institute of Traditional Arts (Wrth) : Higher diploma in Traditional Product’s Development

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.

Continue reading Co-designing of Teaching Contents with The Royal Institute of Traditional Arts (Wrth) : Higher diploma in Traditional Product’s Development →

Activities

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 →

Activities

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 →

Activities

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 →

News

Clear Wood, il nuovo appeal del legno

di Naike Cogliati

Potreste mai immaginare di usare il legno per produrre celle solari trasparenti? Ebbene sì, fra qualche anno sarà possibile e nel frattempo un team del KTH Reale Institute of Technology di Stoccolma sta mettendo a punto il cosiddetto ‘legno trasparente’, ovvero un tipo di impiallacciatura in cui il componente delle pareti cellulari viene spogliato chimicamente.

Continue reading Clear Wood, il nuovo appeal del legno →