SUSTech School of Design at the 24th Triennale di Milano

During the Triennale period, SUSTech School of Design also hosted a dedicated academic event in Milan. On the afternoon of October 10, as a co-design institution of the Chinese Section, the school held a Thematic Month Academic Event in the Agora Hall of the Triennale di Milano. 

With the theme “Explore the Contribution of Technology-Extended And Science-Informed Design for Actionable Opportunities,” the event focused on emerging technologies and science-based design methods. Discussions addressed how these approaches empower and challenge designers to embrace new relational and responsive practices that extend previous conceptions of visions, bodies, and abilities, considering materiality, critical design, perception, and spatial psychology, among other topics.

Opening remarks were delivered by YAO Liangjun, Science and Technology Consul of the Consulate-General of China in Milan, and Guo Peidong, Chief Representative of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) in Italy and China Chamber of International Commerce in Italy.

The event was organized and moderated by Thomas KVAN, Dean of the SUSTech School of Design, together with Enza MIGLIORE and Mirna ZORDAN, Assistant Professors at the School. Faculty and students from several Italian universities, as well as SUSTech alumni based in Europe, participated in the discussions.

Consul YAO Liangjun noted that, as China and Italy celebrate the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the two countries have e engaged in extensive down-to-earth cooperation in various fields, and established a comprehensive strategic partnership. The interdisciplinary exchanges, integrating factors such as technology and culture, and exploring the impact of rapid technological innovation on design of SUSTech School of Design, will for sure play a positive role in advancing the development of China's design field and make new contributions to the deepening of Sino-Italian relations.

GUO Peidong emphasized that for the 24th Triennale, the Construction Industry Branch of CCPIT took responsibility in organizing the participation of Chinese universities, and fully expressed the good intentions and active attitude of China in engaging in communication with the world in the field of innovation and creative design. He highlighted that the Triennale Milano has become an important global platform for innovation, creativity, and design exchange. The Chinese participation is not simply connected to the value of "equality", but demonstrates the collective aspiration of Chinese culture in seeking positive forces and various solutions for commonly shared problems. He believed that The SUSTech School of Design will make key contributions to the China-informed understanding of "inequality" , and propose China enabled solutions and methods through the cross-boundary synergy of AI, advanced materials, and innovative design.

The roundtable discussion “Design, Technology and Equality,” moderated by Thomas KVAN, featured Enza MIGLIORE, Mirna ZORDAN, Professor Michele BONINO (Head of the Department of Architecture and Design, Politecnico di Torino), and Associate Professor Valentina ROGNOLI (Politecnico di Milano). The panel explored how emerging technologies and scientific methods can help designers respond to future challenges and reshape design practices, as well as how relationships between people and design can be reconsidered through materiality, perception, and spatial experience.

In the presentation session, Enza MIGLIORE and Mirna ZORDAN introduced and demonstrated their research project “Tell Me Concrete Stories.” The project explores how cities can be understood and perceived through the relationship between construction workers and concrete, revealing the cognitive and emotional values embedded in materials throughout environmental development and life cycles. It seeks new insights at the intersection of design and science, offering pathways toward more engaging and humane built environments.

The subsequent seminar, “Design as a Medium for Regeneration, Care, and Economic Transformation,” was chaired by Enza MIGLIORE and Mirna ZORDAN. Speakers included Associate Professor Carla LANGELLA (University of Naples Federico II), Francesco Dell’AGLIO (Adjunct Professor, Apple Developer Academy and University of Naples Federico II), Assistant Professor Chiara SCARPITTI (University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli), Giuseppe TARAMELLI (Founder, Taramelli srl), and Sofia Soledad Duarte POBLETE (PhD candidate, Politecnico di Milano). They shared practices in which design acts as a mediating tool across social, technological, and economic contexts.