Design4Future: Bridging Worlds through Nature, Innovation, and Human-Centered Design

On April 11, during Milan Design Week, the LAND Wunderkammer in via Varese 12 opened its doors to Design4Future—a multidisciplinary conversation exploring the evolving relationship between nature, technology, innovation, and people. The event, curated by LAND and moderated by Valentina Galiulo, Project Director at LAND Research Lab, was part of Fuorisalone’s official program and resonated deeply with this year’s theme “Mondi Connessi” (Connected Worlds).

The discussion featured high-level guests from academia and practice, weaving together diverse geographies and disciplines to investigate how design can act as a generative force in an increasingly interconnected world.

Jens Hoffmann opened the panel by reminding the audience that nature must no longer be seen as a backdrop for development, but as a primary driver of design. “We don’t design urban spaces—we start with the natural capital and see how much space is left for the rest,” he explained, presenting LAND’s approach to urban planning where ecological systems set the framework for human activity. From the “natural cosmos” created for Expo 2015 in Milan to the vision for Expo 2030 in Riyadh, Hoffmann highlighted how green infrastructure can be at the heart of transformative, large-scale projects.

 

Randa A. Mahmoud brought in the perspective of technology and education, speaking about how design pedagogy in Saudi Arabia is embracing immersive tools such as virtual reality, digital fabrication, and community engagement. She emphasized the role of students as changemakers in a rapidly evolving society: “Technology must be a medium, not the goal—it should empower communities and adapt to their realities.” Through hands-on learning and partnerships with public entities, her faculty is cultivating a generation of architects and designers who fuse tradition with innovation.

 

Innovation was the central theme in Giovanna Iannantuoni’s contribution. Speaking as an economist and university rector, she outlined how academia can be a powerful catalyst for societal transformation when it embraces interdisciplinary collaboration and impact-driven research. “Innovation and human capital are the engines of sustainable growth—we must anticipate the future, not just react to it,” she said, referencing large-scale urban regeneration projects currently under way at Bicocca, where ecological and social dimensions converge.

 

Finally, Luisa Collina underlined the value of design education as a cultural force that connects science, creativity, and ethics. “We must move beyond object-based design toward systemic, interdependent thinking—connecting technology, culture, and care,” she said, referencing decades of experience in building bridges between disciplines at Politecnico di Milano. In her view, design’s role today is not only to produce but to provoke—generating new questions about the future of humanity and the planet.

 

From Milan to Riyadh, from education to urban planning, Design4Future offered a kaleidoscopic view of how different worlds—academic and professional, natural and technological, individual and collective—can be connected through design. The event highlighted a shared desire to foster inclusive, science-based, and regenerative design cultures. As Valentina Galiulo noted in her closing remarks: “Design is the bridge through which we can collectively reimagine our futures—locally rooted and globally connected.”

The talk underlines a new chapter of multi-vocal conversations hosted by LAND, reinforcing its commitment to cultivating spaces of dialogue, participation, and shared knowledge in a journey of #ReconnectingPeopleWithNature.

The full livestream from the talk is available on our Instagram channel.