System design for sustainability
The course introduces to the theory and practice of Product-Service System (PSS) design for Sustainability.
A first theoretical part presents the following topics: sustainable development and designer’s role; evolution of sustainability within design; Life Cycle Design: methods, tools, strategies, guidelines and examples; system (PSS) design for eco-efficiency: criteria, guidelines and examples; system design for socio-ethical sustainability: criteria, guidelines and examples; designing transition paths for the introduction and diffusion of sustainable PSSs; methods and tools for system design and system design for sustainability.
The second part of the course is a design exercise: the students are asked to design new sustainable PSSs to promote social inclusion and intergenerational dialogue in four neighborhoods in Milan (Baggio, Barona, Giambellino and Gratosoglio), in collaboration with Consorzio SIS and the Punto e Linea project (www.progettopuntoelinea.it).
Starting from October 2012 the ongoing course will be:
Design per la sostenibilità ambientale (Design for environmental sustainability)
The course presents an approach to design environmentally sustainable products to provide students with knowledge, sensibility, tools and methods to integrate environmental requirements in the design of industrial products.
The first part of the course includes a series of lectures and particular attention will be paid to the design of sustainable exhibitions and to relevant case studies in that sector.
The second part of the course is dedicated to a design exercise that aims at teaching how to develop an environmental sustainable concept and when to use tools to orientate the design towards environmentally sustainable solutions (e.g. Life Cycle Assessment, indicators of strategic environmental priorities …).
The product to be designed during the exercise is a travelling exhibition.
