CULTURE PROJECT | Corsi di Studio UniGe

CODE	65373
ACADEMIC YEAR	2026/2027
CREDITS	6 cfu anno 2 DESIGN PRODOTTO EVENTO 11943 (LM-12 R) - GENOVA
SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINARY SECTOR	ICAR/14
LANGUAGE	Italian
TEACHING LOCATION	GENOVA
SEMESTER	2° Semester

OVERVIEW

The course Cultura del Progetto examines the cultural, theoretical and formal paradigms that have shaped architectural and design practice from the early 2000s to the present, with particular attention to the relationship between imagination, form and representation. Design is understood as a cultural construction capable of reflecting collective desires, visions of the future and social transformations. Positioned at the intersection of architecture, product design and interior design, the course provides critical and projective tools for interpreting contemporary design culture.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course develops through the exploration and experimental application of design theories. The learning objectives are: to acquire the ability to interpret a complex system; to acquire the ability to define a project in the face of unpredictable contextual change (material and immaterial); to acquire the ability to communicate coherently the qualities of the proposed interventions.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course provides critical tools for reading design as a cultural construction, recognising how formal languages, aesthetic codes and modes of representation reflect social, technological and economic change. The central objective is to develop the ability to analyse the principal design paradigms of the past twenty-five years, identifying their continuities, discontinuities and recurrences, and to translate this competence into autonomous and informed design practice.

Knowledge of specific design languages is understood not as an end in itself, but as an indispensable tool for critically interpreting contemporary design — its processes of maturation, its revisions and its internal tensions.

The course further aims to strengthen the ability to read design through examples drawn from different disciplinary fields, developing a transversal understanding of the relationships between scale, form, material and perception. Particular attention is paid to the role of media, cultural platforms and modes of representation in the construction, dissemination and transformation of the design imaginary.

Through the studio exercises, students are guided to translate theoretical content into conscious design practice, developing autonomous and coherent projects capable of expressing a clear cultural position and of employing aesthetics as both a critical and operative instrument in the construction of the project.

PREREQUISITES

None.

TEACHING METHODS

The course is structured around lectures and design exercises running in parallel throughout the semester. The lectures introduce the principal paradigms of contemporary design culture; the exercises require students to translate theoretical content into autonomous design practice through periodic interim reviews and a final critique with external guests.

For attending students, the examination consists of the presentation of both exercises at the final critique, complemented by a brief discussion of the course's theoretical content. For non-attending students, the examination includes, in addition to the presentation of both projects, the preparation and discussion of a short written essay relating two required texts and one optional text; the topic and approach of the essay must be agreed with the instructors in advance.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The first phase of the early 2000s is characterised by continuous surfaces, fluid volumes, rounded forms, synthetic and reflective materials, intense chromatic palettes and artificial atmospheres. In architecture, these codes produce works in which form assumes expressive and scenographic value; in product design, they define plastic and sensorial objects in which image and perceptual quality redefine both domestic and public space. In the following decades, this language evolves towards formal restraint, attention to sustainability and material efficiency, and a growing sensitivity to the durability and environmental impact of design. A renewed interest in design history likewise emerges, together with the use of archives and the reinterpretation and updating of historical codes.

Lectures

What is design? — Design as cultural, narrative and creative construction.
Y2K. The short decade — The optimism of the new millennium and Y2K aesthetics. Architecture, design, exhibition, media.
The golden age of the starchitect — Iconicity, globalisation and the spectacularisation of architecture. The role of image and the emblematic works of the new millennium.
(Almost) everything Koolhaas in four hours — Rem Koolhaas as a key figure in the construction of contemporary design culture: theory, practice, research, publishing, biennials.
2010–2025. The years of permanent transition — The shift from iconic excess to restraint, and the questioning of the digital image.
Common Ground: the fortunes of theory and the new classicisms — The return of theoretical discourse and new forms of classicism, typology and continuity.
New forms of sobriety — Minimalism, essentiality, sustainability and design responsibility.
The crisis of the render: drawings and collage — The decline of digital hyperrealism and the return to alternative modes of representation.

Exercise 01 — Fake it till you make it

The exercise explores the relationship between aesthetics, design culture and brand identity through the design of imaginary yet plausible objects attributed to iconic brands of the early 2000s. Each student is assigned a brand; drawing on an analysis of its formal, narrative and material codes, the student develops a three-dimensional object that is credible yet radically different from anything the brand actually produces. The work concludes with the production of graphic materials and a video simulating a plausible advertising campaign.

Exercise 02 — Wannabe Serpentine Pavilion

The second exercise transfers the principles explored in the first from object design to temporary architectural design, taking the Serpentine Pavilion in London as its field of application. Each student is assigned an architect active during the 2000s; the task is to develop a credible temporary pavilion proposal consistent with the architect's authorial profile, while remaining an entirely original project. The work concludes with a physical scale model and design drawings.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

DAVIDE SERVENTE

LESSONS

LESSONS START

As per calendar.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Written + Oral.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The following elements will be evaluated:

knowledge and understanding;

applying knowledge and understanding;

ability to draw conclusions (making judgements);

communication skills;

ability to learn (learning skills).

Passing the exam is expected for students who, at the end of the course:

have demonstrated knowledge and understanding that extend and/or reinforce those typically associated with the first cycle and allow for the elaboration and/or application of original ideas, in a research context;

are able to apply their knowledge, understanding and ability to solve new or unfamiliar problems and issues in broad (interdisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study;

have the ability to integrate knowledge and manage complexity and to draw their own conclusions even on the basis of incomplete information, including reflection on the social and ethical responsibilities associated with the application of their knowledge and judgments;

are able to communicate their conclusions, as well as the knowledge and rationale underlying them, in a clear and unambiguous way, to specialist and non-specialist interlocutors;

have developed those learning skills that allow them to proceed mostly in a self-directed or autonomous way.