Course Topics
Wood has accompanied humankind since prehistoric times, evolving alongside us in a continuous dialogue of uses, techniques, and meanings. From shelters and tools to ritual objects, it has shaped millennia of history, art, and architecture, remaining a central and irreplaceable material. The merging of ancestral knowledge and scientific innovation has opened new horizons. Through highly energy-efficient treatments, wood’s resistance and durability can be enhanced without the use of polluting substances, giving rise to “new woods” that combine performance, sustainability, and versatility. This evolution broadens both technical and aesthetic possibilities, transforming soft woods into materials with the qualities of noble species and offering innovative solutions for design and manufacturing. When responsibly sourced and certified, wood’s supply chain can be among the most sustainable. Its inherently renewable nature allows for careful resource management and transparent traceability from forest to factory. Processing requires less energy than many other materials and, at the end of its life cycle, wood is easily recyclable. Each cubic metre also stores around one tonne of CO2, keeping it locked away for decades or even centuries and thus helping to mitigate climate change. In a time when the term “sustainability” is often reduced to a marketing slogan, wood offers a tangible, measurable response. Designing with it means uniting innovation, material knowledge, and environmental responsibility. A good project, like a tree, requires time to grow and take root. Wood, with its technical, aesthetic, and environmental qualities, reconnects us to the natural rhythms of life and becomes a symbol of balance between tradition and future, technology and nature. Can wood, even in a world dominated by new materials, continue to represent a cutting-edge resource within the design landscape — a material capable of addressing contemporary needs without compromising its natural, renewable, and recyclable essence?

Propaedeutic courses
To have passed the WUP project and all the WUP courses; to have certified the language level proficiency B1 in the course language in years following the first.

Teaching format
Lectures, group discussions, expert talks, individual and group revisions

Educational objectives
Knowledge and understanding have acquired their own project methodology in the field of product design, from the phase of planning to the phase of realisation of the project. have acquired the basic practical and theoretical knowledge necessary to realise a project in the field of product design. have acquired the basic knowledge to be able to turn a critical eye to their own work and to deal with contemporary complexity. have acquired the basic knowledge necessary for further Master's studies in all components of project culture as well as in theoretical subjects. Applying knowledge and understanding plan, develop and realise a project in the field of product design. be able to finalize the creation of an accomplished project in the field of product design, thanks to the basic knowledge acquired in the practical, scientific and theoretical fields. recognise the main phenomena of contemporary society, to observe them critically, also from an ethical and social point of view, and to elaborate appropriate solutions at the level of a design proposal/response. make use of the skills acquired during the course of study in the event of continuing studies in a Master's degree programme in the field of product design and to develop them further. Making judgements be able to make independent judgements for the purpose of developing their own design skills and in relation to all those decisions that are necessary to bring a project to completion. be able to make independent judgements, both in the critical evaluation of their own work and in their ability to use the right interpretative tools in those design contexts in which they will work and/or continue their studies, also considering ethical and social aspects. Communication skills present an independently realised project in the field of product design in the form of an installation, orally as well as in writing in a professional manner. to professionally communicate and substantiate one’s own decisions and justify them from a formal and theoretical point of view. communicate and present your own project at a professional level in another language and correctly in a third language in addition to their own language Learning skills have learned a work methodology at a professional level - in the sense of being able to identify, develop and realise solutions to complex problems by applying the knowledge acquired in the practical and theoretical fields - in order to start a professional activity and/or continue their studies with a master's degree program. have developed a creative attitude and learned how to enhance it and develop it according to their own inclinations. have acquired basic knowledge in theoretical and practical subjects as well as a study methodology suitable for continuing studies with a master's degree program.

Assessment
The final assessment will be the result of the work carried out during the whole semester. The ability to communicate the strength of their design choices, the consistency of the final outcome with the semester topic, the quality of the mock-ups and final prototype. N.B. ALL THE STUDENTS ATTENDING THE EXAM AS NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS MUST AGREE UPON THE CONTENTS WITH THE TEACHER.

Evaluation criteria
The evaluation criteria are based on personal motivation, the ability to manage team work, the quality and autonomy of design work, and the design skills acquired.