Innovazione nei materiali attraverso l’Archivio del Compasso d’Oro

The evolution of humankind has always been closely linked to the materials it interacts with and uses for its survival. The remarkable technological advances of the last century have led to the discovery and development of new materials. Faced with such a wide range of options, designers must be aware of the countless possibilities available to them, as well as possessing a solid methodological foundation for material selection. From this premise, the elective course in Nanotechnologies and Functional Materials for Design at Politecnico di Milano was established. The series of lectures offers students a new perspective on materials, ranging from the most established to the most innovative, including functional, biomimetic, and biobased materials. The courseaims to share with students an approach towards a constantly growing and evolving field of materials, providing the necessary tools to develop a critical and analytical vision of design possibilities. The course opens with a lecture on traditional materials. For several editions, this lecture was delivered in an ex cathedra format, until in A.Y. 2022-23 it was decided to organise a co-created lesson, held off-campus to encourage dialogue and integration among various participants from different master’s degree programmes. The chosen venue was the ADI Design Museum, since the history of the Compasso d’Oro Award makes it possible to trace back the evolution of materials over the past 70 years. The organisation of the session includes a part managed by the teaching staff – preselection of award-winning products and organisation of students – and a part carried out by the students – individual in-depth analysis of a product using a template provided by the lecturers. Subsequently, the co-created lesson/visit takes place at the ADI Museum, where the teaching staff acts as coordinator between the various thematic sections, and the students explore materials and manufacturing technologies through the case studies exhibited and analysed. The introduction of the new teaching approach – inspired by the flipped classroom methodology – was well received by students, who felt empowered and engaged. Therefore, learning was not limited to theoretical notions but enabled participants to improve their summarising and public speaking skills, as confirmed by a survey administered after the experience. Finally, the opportunity to experience teaching outside the university context allows students to connect the knowledge acquired to the real world and local cultural context.