The activities of the Department of Design at the 2025 International Engineering Festival
Technology for Humanity
Once again in 2025, the International Engineering Festival reaffirms itself as a key event for scientific and cultural outreach at Politecnico di Milano.
From September 19 to 21, 2025
This year the Festival expands to include all of the University’s Milan campuses, offering a rich and diverse program designed to engage a broad audience: 38 open labs, 30 activities for children, 27 activities for teenagers and career orientation, 40 outreach lectures, 10 talks, 20 exhibition spaces, 5 events and performances, along with a “Fuori Festival” that will further animate the city.
The Department of Design will also take an active role in the Festival, contributing with initiatives that highlight the dialogue between engineering, design, and innovation. This is a chance to explore the intersection of design culture and technological development, fostering an interdisciplinary and sustainability-oriented vision.
Activities involving the Department of Design:
Festival Opening Ceremony
TEENS ACTIVITIES
Materials Design for Transition: Experimenting from a Biodesign Perspective
Campus Bovisa – Durando
An open-access biomaterials workshop set up as an interactive biolab-gazebo, designed to introduce visitors to contemporary practices in materials design for ecological transition. The focus will be on bio-based, bio-inspired, and experimental approaches that connect design, science, and sustainability.
KIDS ACTIVITIES
Creative Weaving – Between Warp and Weft
By Angelo Sabbioni, Fashion Lab
Campus Bovisa – Durando
Using a basic loom, participants will learn how fabrics are created and how, by changing the weaving patterns or using yarns of different thicknesses, it is possible to create a wide variety of designs.
September 20 · 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
September 20 · 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Wood and Design
By Mariano Chernicoff, Prototypes and Exhibit Lab
Campus Bovisa – Durando
This workshop is dedicated to exploring wood and its main derivatives through hands-on activities and the creation of small objects. Participants will explore the characteristics of different materials, joinery techniques, and the use of essential woodworking tools, trying their hand at making a solid wood sculpture and a scale model chair.
September 20 · 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
September 20 · 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Harry Potter and the Magic of Cinema
Campus Bovisa – La Masa
Appearances and disappearances, dazzling transformations, flying brooms, and staircases that change direction on their own:is it really all thanks to the magic of Harry, Ron, and Hermione… or is there a touch of digital wizardry involved? Join Mariana Ciancia on a journey to the heart of Hogwarts, where you'll uncover the secrets behind the most famous spells.
EXHIBITIONS AND INSTALLATIONS
Design Convivio
By Giampiero Bosoni, Paola Bertola
Campus Bovisa – Durando
Guided tour of the Design Convivio installation, curated by Giampiero Bosoni together with Paola Bertola, part of the Design Philology project. Design Convivio brings to life the origins of the institutionalization of design at Politecnico di Milano. The installation stages an imaginary dialogue between some of the pioneering figures who played a key role in this journey.
September 20 · 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
September 20 · 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
September 20 · 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
September 21 · 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Registration and booking are required to participate in the activities.
Discover the complete programme directly on the Festival website.