OVERVIEW

The course, which frames historically and critically the subject of sustainability, with attention to its different interpretations, aims to provide students with specific knowledge for an ecological approach to industrial design. The course considers different energy production technologies from renewable sources, systems aimed to reduce the environmental impact and the different management and control strategies of the design and production processes.  

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course will specifically focus on the issue of sustainability: the topic will be historically and critically analyzed, and all its various interpretations and by-products will be discussed. The course, supported by various case studies, will provide students with specific knowledge to approach design projects from an ecological perspective, taking into account the different renewable energy production technologies, environmental impact reduction techniques, and, most importantly, all the various production process control and management strategies (product life-cycle certification and analysis, embodied energy reduction, eco-compatible materials usage, strategies to control resources, waste, packaging, transport, etc.).
 

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course aims to bring awareness to the importance of a sustainable approach to industrial design, equipping students with technical knowledge about the topic and promoting the development of critical thinking.

By the end of the course, students will be expected to:
- have a general understanding of today's ecological culture;
- be aware of the different strategies for ecological design throughout the different phases of a product's life-cycle, as well as basic notions of LCA;
- know the different systems of energy production from renewable sources (with a focus on solar energy systems);
- be acquainted with materials and natural products that are low energy content, with a low impact on the environment and on people's health;
- be acquainted with the most common sustainable product brands and eco-labels;
- be able to critically analyze the issue of ecological design, with a particular focus on its social aspects.

 

TEACHING METHODS

The course includes lectures even with the intervention of external experts to present the cultural context, the possible strategies for the design for environment, case studies and products. The moments of dialogue with the students will be favored.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The main topics are: ecological culture; ecological design in the life cycles of products; LCA; production from renewable sources; natural materials; product labels, eco-labels; critical analysis of the ecological design and perspectives. The teacher will provide on aulaweb a detailed plan and time-table of lessons, with also external teachers mentioned.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

At the end of the course, the teacher will provide students with lecture notes and slides. For each topic, he will provide students, in class, with a specific bibliography.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

ADRIANO MAGLIOCCO (President)

ANDREA GIACHETTA

LESSONS

LESSONS START

https://corsi.unige.it/9274/p/studenti-orario

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The final exam foresees the verification of students’ knowledge, in theoretical-methodological and applied terms. The exam is related to the topics of lessons and complies with the presented course schedule.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

An oral test will check students’ knowledge and capacity of critical re-elaboration.
The evaluation parameters are knowledge of the topics of the lessons, clear exposition, use of correct language, ability to reason.

Exam schedule