Politecnico's commitment to promoting innovative approaches to design education
On 16 and 17 January, the Department of Architecture and Design-DAD successfully hosted in the Castello del Valentino the first two events in the series “Collective Pedagogies for an Anti-Disciplinary Design Education”. These events gathered architects, educators and scholars from across the globe to launch an ambitious, year-long effort to redefine the pedagogical frameworks of design education. Participants hailed from Kenya, India, Mexico, the USA, Serbia, England and China, reflecting the initiative’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity.
These events marked the beginning of the Collective Pedagogies initiative that will continue with a similar event on 20 and 21 March in London, and culminate in the publication of the book “Collective Pedagogies for an Anti-Disciplinary Design Education” edited by Mitesh Dixit, Fedah Taqi and Francesco Carota. Scheduled for release in early 2026 by Routledge Press, the book aims to challenge traditional disciplinary boundaries and introduce collaborative, anti-disciplinary approaches to design education, grounded in global perspectives and innovative teaching methods.
The events commenced with a warm welcome from the Vice Rector for Education Fulvio Corno, who highlighted the university’s commitment to fostering interdisciplinary and international collaborations in design and education. His remarks underscored the importance of addressing global challenges through innovative, collective pedagogies. Michele Bonino, Director of the Department of Architecture & Design, also extended his support, emphasizing the department’s pivotal role in shaping a dynamic future for architectural education.
Through education, it is possible to shape a more sustainable future for the planet: the first day, in which Professor Tim Waterman of the Bartlett School of Architecture-UCL gave the lecture Planetarity – New Worlds & Hybrid Worlds, focused on the primary function of education in addressing the challenges posed by today's ecological transition. The voices of experts in the field then gave rise to a wide-ranging debate on the second day, which led to the collection and recording of individual contributions on the subject, contributions that will be included in the final volume that gave the initiative its name.
“Collective Pedagogies is a project in the making, which currently involves 11 universities but will open up to new figures and topics in the future – commented Michele Bonino – I would particularly like to thank Mitesh Dixit of DAD, together with Francesco Carota and Fedah Taqi, for launching the book initiative, which created this network. We proposed that they take the opportunity to organise a series of debates on the subject, of which the one at the Politecnico was the first in a series that we hope will be long and productive”.