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Libera Università di Bolzano

Project 1 in Eco-Social Deign

Semestre 1 · 96122 · Corso di laurea magistrale in Design eco-sociale · 15CFU · EN


Docenti: Mustapha El Moussaoui, Teresa Palmieri, Jacopo Ammendola, Sónia Amélia Cabral Matos

Ore didattica frontale: 60 (CIS), 60 (OSS), 30 (DR)
Ore di laboratorio: 0
Obbligo di frequenza: highly recommended

Argomenti dell'insegnamento
“The question of what kind of city we want cannot be divorced from the question of what kind of people we want to be, what kind of social relations we seek, what relations to nature we cherish, what style of life we desire, what aesthetic values we hold” (Harvey, 2012: 4). Starting from these considerations, the course takes the form of an "Open City Laboratory" in which to imagine and explore situated proposals for moving towards more ecologically sustainable, solidary and just ways of living, producing and consuming in the city. Towards this end, in the first phase of the course, we engage in listening to and orienting ourselves towards what the city of Bolzano has to tell us, what it has to offer and what it might need. We do this by interacting with local actors from civil servants to citizen-groups, from local experts to NGOs and activists. We immerse ourselves in the context, we traverse the city, explore its socio-material infrastructure and practices, investigate existing data and visions. We always critically reflect on these engagements guided by design and research approaches. In this way we frame possible design spaces for intervention with care and responsibility and in interaction with the local context. We develop and prototype proposals for socio-ecological transformation at a city level which can take different forms, from transformative future scenarios to concrete site-specific interventions, from design tools for transformation to new shared, circular systems and collective services.

Insegnamenti propedeutici
none

Modalità di insegnamento
Project-work with a balanced mix of lectures, field work, exercises and experiments, workshops, concepts and prototypes development, presentations and reviews (individually and in groups), interventions by external experts and field trips.

Obiettivi formativi
Knowledge and understanding Students will have developed their own individual project practice and will be able to: - design, implement and manage projects - develop creative solutions and processes - involve stakeholders and actors in projects, identify their needs, conflicts and potentials and work productively with them - designing the aesthetic dimension of projects or collaborating in design - developing prototypes or delegating their development - developing interventions and events or delegating their development - test and evaluate prototypes, interventions, events or their individual elements, or delegate their testing/testing and evaluation. Applying knowledge and understanding Students will be able to: - develop projects and practices suitable for addressing complex challenges. - make tangible ideas, reports and projects, such as sketches, visualisations, mock-ups, models, prototypes, interventions and prototype events Research and from courses of the area Observe, Analyse & Apply - be able to co-create original ideas for effective projects, aiming at desirable and viable Eco-Social transitions - be able to develop effective projects in given situations (see above) with the above mentioned aims - setup and organize a project according to its requirements, across all phases: initial research, finding, project development, exploration and experimentation, prototyping, testing and publishing / exhibiting. - be able to design and build mockups, functional models and/or other artifacts, which make the project tangible and testable, integrating methods and skills from courses of the area Make & Intervene - Integrate approaches, knowledges, methods, competences, skills and technologies from multiple fields and (design) disciplines Making judgments Students will be able to: - take responsibility for the development and management of projects and activities - judging independently and critically: concepts and drafts Communication skills Students will be able to: - communicate convincingly in different ways and with different audiences - present projects convincingly - argue creative and strategic decisions - communicate productively within the team - lead creative processes and teams Learning skills Students will be able to: - working independently to learn according to different situations and in a personal way through experimentation and planning - working independently to learn according to different situations and in a personal way through the development of prototypes, models, mock-ups and the feedback they provide - organising learning processes

Modalità d'esame
The final exam will consist of a public presentation of the group project(s) developed during the course, that will be required to include all the aspects of the project development process, including initial and contextual research, critical analysis and positioning, participatory and inclusive methodologies, communication and storytelling strategies, prototyping tools. Before taking the exam, the students will be required to produce and file: - A project documentation in the form of a booklet - A project documentation in the form of a faculty portfolio entry - An exhibition during the faculty semester show (GOG) Assessment for NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS will be based on the presentation of the project developed by the students. Along with the project outcome, non-attending students need to be able to thoroughly present the design and research process that lead to it, including understanding of the local context, collaboration with local actors and design decisions taken. Also non attending students need to produce and file the documents and exhibition mentioned above.

Criteri di valutazione
Student performance in this course will be evaluated based on a combination of individual and group work, emphasising both process and outcomes. The assessment criteria are as follows: Project Work: Students will develop one or more design projects that reflect their understanding of the course’s central themes, particularly their ability to understand the city as a context for eco-social transformation. The project will be evaluated based on creativity, conceptual depth, and the ability to propose innovative solutions. Regular feedback sessions will track progress, and final submissions will be presented at the end of the course. Research and Critical Analysis: Students will be required to conduct research that critically engages with contemporary socio-ecological challenges at multiple scales, from local to global, and reflects on how design can contribute to viable socio-ecological transformations. This component will be assessed through written reports and presentations. Participation and Collaboration: Active participation in discussions, workshops, and collaborative activities with peers and the Design Research course is essential. Assessment will focus on the student’s contribution to the collective learning process, including teamwork, constructive feedback, and engagement with different perspectives. Reflection and Documentation: Students are expected to maintain a reflective journal or portfolio documenting their design process, challenges encountered, and personal insights. This will be assessed for depth of reflection and engagement with course topics. A final documentation must be submitted (as portfolio web page and booklet) which must communicate the project starting from its development process. The final evaluation of the design projects and research will also take in account the following criteria: 1. Eco-Social agency Impacts and potentials for positive eco-social change 2. Qualities of the designed artefacts Aesthetic and technical qualities, and in how far these qualities foster the eco-social agency. How they build upon the state of the art in your chosen field and (design) disciplines. Boldness and vigour of experimentation and design exploration. 3. Conceptual framing, reflection and future perspectives Understanding of the given situation, relevant actors and the potential for positive change. Critical analysis, synthesis, reflection and evaluation. Understanding of iterative development and future perspectives. 4. Relations, processes and organisation Understanding and managing relations and processes with the project team, collaborators, partners, stakeholders and other actors. Project management. 5. Storytelling Effectiveness and potential in communicating the project to relevant publics. Quality and effectiveness of presentation techniques and narrative. How well the story attracts attention, convinces and touches audiences. Defence of your proposition and your response to critics.

Bibliografia obbligatoria
  • Awan, N., Schneider, T., & Till, J. (2013). Spatial agency: Other ways of doing architecture. Routledge.
  • Brand, U. (2022). Radical emancipatory social-ecological transformations: degrowth and the role of strategy. In N. Barlow, L. Regen, N. Cadiou, E. Chertkovskaya, M. Hollweg, C. Plank, M. Schulken, & V. Wolf. (2022). Degrowth & Strategy: how to bring about social-ecological transformation. Mayfla Books.
  • Costanza-Chock, S. (2020). Design Justice: community-led practices to build the worlds we need. The MIT Press.
  • Foster, S. R., & Iaione, C. (2022). Co-cities: Innovative Transition toward Just and Self-Sustaining Communities. The MIT Press.
  • Groß, B. et al. (2024) Designing Futures speculation, critique, innovation¿: a guide to exploring visualizing and negotiating future scenarios. 1. Auflage. London: Laurence King Publishing.
  • Jacobs, J. (2011). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Modern Library.
  • Kitchin, R., & Dodge, M. (2011). Code/Space: Software and Everyday Life. The MIT Press.
  • Koskinen, I.; Zimmerman, J.; Binder, T.; Redström, J. and Wensveen, S. (2011). Design Research Through Practice. From the Lab, Field, and Showroom. Amsterdam: Morgan Kaufmann/Elsevier.
  • Pater R. (2021). Cap Lock: How Capitalism Took Hold of Graphic Design, and How to Escape from it. Valiz.
  • Smith, R. C., Loi, D., Winschiers-Theophilus, H., Huybrecths, L., & Simonesn, J. (2025). Routledge International Handbook of Contemporary Participatory Design. Routledge.
  • Sanders, E. B. N., and Stappers, P. J. (2012). Convivial Toolbox. Generative research for the front end of design. Amsterdam: BIS Publishers. 
  • Von Busch, O., & Palmås, K. (2023). The Corruption of Co-design: Political and Social Conflicts in Participatory Design Thinking. Routledge.


Bibliografia facoltativa

Supplementary readings will be provided by the lecturers based on the content covered in the lectures.




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Obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile
Questa attività didattica contribuisce al raggiungimento dei seguenti Obiettivi di Sviluppo sostenibile.

11 12 13

Modules

Semestre 1 · 96122A · Corso di laurea magistrale in Design eco-sociale · 12CFU · EN

Module A — Design 1

Project 1 is a full-immersion into thinking and doing eco-social design. Students are confronted with issues of socio-ecological transformation in light of global challenges and in relation to local contexts interacting with local actors and dynamics. Within this frame, they develop projects in small teams – from project definition to prototyping. Project 1 is led by a team of teachers: design practitioners, covering the areas Objects–Spaces-Services and Communication–Interaction–Services. They provide input, facilitate learning experiences and coach students.
While the project leader in Objects–Spaces–Services (OSS) focuses on design of objects, spaces and/or services, the project leader in Communication–Interaction–Services (CIS) focuses on communication strategies, media tactics, experience design, interaction and/or service design bringing in best practice from socially, politically and environmentally engaged design.

The project leader in Objects–Spaces–Services supports the development of each student’s project and practices, in particular, related to the design of objects, spaces and/or services bringing in best practice from socially, politically and environmentally engaged design.

The project leader in Communication–Interaction–Services focuses in particular on communication strategies, media tactics, experience design, interaction and/or service design bringing in best practice from socially, politically and environmentally engaged design.

Docenti: Mustapha El Moussaoui, Teresa Palmieri, Jacopo Ammendola

Ore didattica frontale: 60 (CIS) / 60 (OSS)
Ore di laboratorio: 0

Argomenti dell'insegnamento
“The question of what kind of city we want cannot be divorced from the question of what kind of people we want to be, what kind of social relations we seek, what relations to nature we cherish, what style of life we desire, what aesthetic values we hold” (Harvey, 2012: 4). Starting from these considerations, the course takes the form of an "Open City Laboratory" in which to imagine and explore situated proposals for moving towards more ecologically sustainable, solidary and just ways of living, producing and consuming in the city. Towards this end, in the first phase of the course, we engage in listening to and orienting ourselves towards what the city of Bolzano has to tell us, what it has to offer and what it might need. We do this by interacting with local actors from civil servants to citizen-groups, from local experts to NGOs and activists. We immerse ourselves in the context, we traverse the city, explore its socio-material infrastructure and practices, investigate existing data and visions. We always critically reflect on these engagements guided by design and research approaches. In this way we frame possible design spaces for intervention with care and responsibility and in interaction with the local context. We develop and prototype proposals for socio-ecological transformation at a city level which can take different forms, from transformative future scenarios to concrete site-specific interventions, from design tools for transformation to new shared, circular systems and collective services.

Modalità di insegnamento
Project-work with a balanced mix of lectures, field work, exercises and experiments, workshops, concept and prototypes development, presentations and reviews (individually and in groups), interventions by external experts and field trips.

Bibliografia obbligatoria
  • Awan, N., Schneider, T., & Till, J. (2013). Spatial agency: Other ways of doing architecture. Routledge.
  • Brand, U. (2022). Radical emancipatory social-ecological transformations: degrowth and the role of strategy. In N. Barlow, L. Regen, N. Cadiou, E. Chertkovskaya, M. Hollweg, C. Plank, M. Schulken, & V. Wolf. (2022). Degrowth & Strategy: how to bring about social-ecological transformation. Mayfla Books.
  • Costanza-Chock, S. (2020). Design Justice: community-led practices to build the worlds we need. The MIT Press.
  • Foster, S. R., & Iaione, C. (2022). Co-cities: Innovative Transition toward Just and Self-Sustaining Communities. The MIT Press.
  • Jacobs, J. (2011). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Modern Library.
  • Kitchin, R., & Dodge, M. (2011). Code/Space: Software and Everyday Life. The MIT Press.
  • Pater R. (2021). Cap Lock: How Capitalism Took Hold of Graphic Design, and How to Escape from it. Valiz.
  • Smith, R. C., Loi, D., Winschiers-Theophilus, H., Huybrecths, L., & Simonesn, J. (2025). Routledge International Handbook of Contemporary Participatory Design. Routledge.
  • Von Busch, O., & Palmås, K. (2023). The Corruption of Co-design: Political and Social Conflicts in Participatory Design Thinking. Routledge.


Bibliografia facoltativa

Supplementary readings will be provided by the lecturers based on the content covered in the lectures.



Semestre 1 · 96122B · Corso di laurea magistrale in Design eco-sociale · 3CFU · EN

Module B — Design Research related to project 1

In the first semester students from diverse disciplinary and professional backgrounds get a full immersion in eco-social design practices, informed and strengthened by Design Research related to Project 1. The teacher works in close collaboration with the project leaders of Project 1.
Design Research related to Project 1 module introduces students to the design research landscape, focusing on eco-social transformation. While integrating lectures with hands-on exercises, we will explore different research tools, methods, and approaches within real-life projects. The course introduces students to qualitative research with a strong focus on ethnographic methods such as observation, interviews, field notes and research ethics. The course will also introduce students to context mapping techniques. Teaching sessions are designed to help students select relevant research approaches to gather information and knowledge regarding the context of their project while supporting the development of critical reflections on the knowledge generated through their research.

Docenti: Sónia Amélia Cabral Matos

Ore didattica frontale: 30
Ore di laboratorio: 0

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