Design for the Mediterranean Social Inclusion

For many years the meaning of “human diversity” was often intended in a negative sense: physical appearances, if not included in recognized proportions or capabilities, have been tied to words like “disability”. The meaning of human diversity concerns many aspect of everyday life, from physical to social, cognitive and behavioural ones. In Design, the attention to the issue of human diversity has been recognized since the 50’s and, throughout years, generations of designers have proposed enabling solutions more tolerant of diversified human capacity. One of the most recent European Design Approach, oriented toward a Social Inclusion and based on it, is Design for All (DfA). Accordingly, DfA considers all human diversities as design strength in order to propose complete end enabling products for real end-users. The paper describes the DfA approach and, considering the emerging scenario of Mediterranean countries, it considers the potentialities resulting from the adoption of a human-centered, inclusive-oriented and socially responsible design approach

Cultural and Natural Heritage for All: Sustainable Fruition of Sites Beyond Physical Accessibility

Heritage is defined as the set of all material, immaterial, natural and cultural assets, whose immense value is universal and belongs to all people, as a property of present and future world generations. It is therefore an asset to be preserved for future generations. However current design approaches used to implement existing Heritage’s promotion strategies mainly use visual-centric design approaches, as a result of the anthropologic humans’ legacy to live. Thus, people with sensorial-perceptive disabilities (i.e. blinds) are excluded from all design interventions and they rarely can enjoy of the Heritage. This paper presents the results of design researches focused on the role of Design for the inclusive and sustainable enhancement of Cultural and Natural Heritage, with an emphasis on the sensorial-perceptive fruition of sites. It combines Communication Design, Inclusive Design, Digital Modeling and Rapid Prototyping to develop a design framework useful to create sustainable and inclusive communicative solutions for the auditory-visual-haptic enhancement of Heritage

A Human Centred Design Integrated Approach for the Inclusive Valorisation of Mediterranean UNESCO Cultural and Natural Heritage

The valorisation of Mediterranean UNESCO Heritage can be intended as a complex set of design strategies, even communicative, which allows to understand those values universally recognised as the highest form of human genius loci, or the everlasting moulding action of nature. While communication design is still considered as a minor aspect in such domain, it is believed that it can help all visitors to catch the Heritage’s essence beyond its aesthetics. The new holistic idea of human, which evolves from the notion of customer to active person in the global market scenario, suggests a radical change in the design paradigms, allowing to develop an integrated HCD-based (Human-Centred Design) approach that considers the communication factors between end-users and artefacts as a fundamental element to the inclusive valorisation of Mediterranean UNESCO Cultural and Natural Heritage

Social sustainability of visual accessibility’s project in domestic environments

The accessibility of spaces, facilities and services is one of the essential requirements of contemporary models that, in the ethics of a proper inclusive design, undertake important strategies for the realization of socially sustainable architectures with a consequent achievement of greater environmental quality and enhancement of public goods. In this context some Institutes of Friuli Venezia Giulia are working (ref. Regional Council of Associations of Persons with Disabilities and their Families of FVG). They, in collaboration with some Courses of Architecture of the University of Udine and Trieste, have start lines of applied research aimed to promoting the culture of inclusion. Here, is particular the participatory process developed in the design of multisensory accessibility; this essay describes the research context for proposing an interpretation of the potentialities and strengths that a careful design on sense-perceptual deficits can makes to the design of Social Housing spaces

Investigation of the Impact of Sustainability on 3D Printing Technologies

3D Printing technologies are becoming pervasive and used both in industry and in informal contexts like domestic self-production and craftsmanship 2.0. A large part of the current studies concerning 3D Printing aims at increasing the performance of processes, materials and devices; however, only few studies approach sustainable issues (i.e. printable eco-materials, distributed networks, etc.). 3D Printing instead could play a crucial role in the transition processes toward the so-called Sustainable Society, if linked with current Design for Sustainability approaches. The paper analyses current literature regarding 3D Printing and Design for Sustainability in order to identify new open research topics and re-think their impact and design roles for future sustainable applications. Specifically, the paper produces evidences linking 3D Printing technologies and Sustainability from the design point of view; it outlines a number of promising open cross-sectorial research topics that aims to anticipate the impacts and the evolution of future Sustainable 3D Printing technologies and new generation of democratic products and services for All

Il Design della Comunicazione Inclusiva per la valorizzazione ubiqua del Patrimonio Culturale: criteri e linee guida progettuali per lo sviluppo di soluzioni comunicative aptiche per la fruizione dei Siti UNESCO

The communication for the enhancement of UNESCO\u2019s Cultural and Natural Heritage can be described as a set of complex and articulated project development strategies. It allows visitors and tourists, interested in experiencing a specific heritage, to perceive and understand the spectrum of elements \u2013 i.e.: scientific, historical, cultural, artistic, anthropological, natural and economical \u2013 that are universally recognized as a form of expression of genius loci, or of nature\u2019s molding action. Both cultural and natural assets can be considered as a kind of strong-box, where an abundance of information, not always accessible and not understandable to all end-users, are hidden. It is agreed that a well-designed communication project could help end-users to absorb the Heritage\u2019s essence, that goes beyond its obvious aesthetic beauty. The evolving idea of the human being \u2013 from mere consumer of goods and services to active player in the global market\u2019s consumer scenario \u2013 has generated a change of paradigm. This was the cultural and scientific basis that catalyzed the idea for this work. The greater awareness and acceptance of human diversity led to overcome the concept of \u201cstandard user\u201d to the one of \u201creal user\u201d. All people, even those with some kind of disability, must be considered as potential end-users who want to enjoy a heritage, a product or a service. There is a prevalent pattern and habit of thought that assumes, almost exclusively, that visual communication of the Heritage experience is adequate. This reality was the main stimulus for this Research to find new design methods capable of delivering at least a first attempt of \u201cenabling\u201d communication aimed to the comprehension of the value of UNESCO\u2019s Heritage in new multisensory ways, clearly beyond just the visual ones. This Research suggests the identification, description and definition of a complex set of theoretical concerns (e.g., critical issues, thematic scenarios, research questions, etc.) and operational needs (e.g., Design Criteria and Guidelines, experimental trials on Case Studies, etc.) will be necessary to drive the evolution of holistic solutions that open to reflections and to original and current connections, linking disciplines disjointed as yet. The Research underlying this concept lies within the fields of \u201cCivil Engineering and Architecture\u201d \u2013 in particular \u201cIndustrial Design\u201d \u2013 and partly also in the sector of \u201cGeomatics\u201d. The enhancement of the UNESCO Heritage in a \u201cfor all\u201d approach, has been intended as an umbrella covering and connecting all the pertinent disciplines. This Research Thesis, following the main research methodologies belonging to the field of Industrial Design and Sociological Research, is composed of two main parts: the first one (Chapters 2 and 3) defines the theoretical framework of the issues, which have been assumed as the main scientific base of the whole research. The second one (Chapters 5, 6 and 7) describes the three-year scientific and project investigation. Additionally three chapters enrich the set of knowledge contained in the Thesis: the first one (Chapter 1) synthetically introduces the complete Research; the second one (Chapter 4) proposes, following a deductive-inductive approach, both Research Questions and Research Hypothesis. This chapter also constitutes a sort of \u201cmilestone\u201d connecting the first part, the theoretical one, with the second one, the experimental one. Finally, the third one (Chapter 8) summarizes the main scientific results, also underlines intrinsic limitations, and suggests new opportunities and potential applications.Il tema della comunicazione per la valorizzazione ubiqua del Patrimonio Culturale e Naturale UNESCO si delinea come un insieme complesso e articolato di strategie progettuali. Esso permette a visitatori e turisti, interessati al godimento di uno specifico bene, di percepirne e capirne l\u2019insieme di valenze \u2013 scientifiche, storiche, culturali, artistiche, antropologiche, naturali ed economiche \u2013 che sono universalmente riconosciute come una forma d\u2019espressione del genius loci o dell\u2019azione plasmatrice della natura. Sia i beni culturali che quelli naturali possono essere considerati come una sorta di scrigno, al cui interno sono celate una moltitudine d\u2019informazioni, non sempre accessibili e comprensibili a tutte le persone. Si conviene come un progetto comunicativo ben sviluppato possa pertanto aiutare i fruitori a cogliere l\u2019essenza del Patrimonio, che va oltre la sua evidente bellezza estetica. L\u2019idea di un essere umano in continua evoluzione \u2013 da mero \u201cconsumatore\u201d di beni e servizi, a \u201csoggetto attivo\u201d nello scenario consumistico del mercato globale \u2013 ha originato un cambio di paradigma che \ue8 stato alla base delle motivazioni culturali e scientifiche che hanno catalizzato l\u2019idea di questa Ricerca. La maggior consapevolezza e l\u2019accettazione della diversit\ue0 umana hanno portato a superare il concetto di \u201cutente standard\u201d, introducendo quello di \u201cutente reale\u201d. Tutte le persone, anche quelle con un qualche tipo di disabilit\ue0 temporanea o permanente, devono infatti essere considerate come potenziali utenti finali che vogliono godere di un bene, di un prodotto o di un servizio. Ad oggi esiste un modello di pensiero che assume quasi esclusivamente la comunicazione visiva dell\u2019esperienza del Patrimonio come adeguata. Questo \ue8 stato lo stimolo principale per cercare nuove modalit\ue0 progettuali, tali da innescare almeno un primo tentativo di comunicazione \u201cabilitante\u201d finalizzata alla comprensione del valore del Patrimonio UNESCO attraverso nuove modalit\ue0 multisensoriali, che vanno chiaramente al di l\ue0 di quelle solo visive. Lo studio suggerisce l\u2019identificazione, la descrizione e la definizione di un insieme articolato di aspetti teorici (ambiti problematici, tematici, quesiti di ricerca, etc.) e di esigenze operative (Criteri e Linee Guida Progettuali, sperimentazioni su Casi Studio, etc.) necessari per guidare l\u2019evoluzione di soluzioni olistiche che aprono a riflessioni e collegamenti originali e attuali, mettendo in relazione ambiti disciplinari ad oggi ancora disgiunti. Il fil rouge sotteso alla Ricerca si colloca all\u2019interno dell\u2019area \u201cIngegneria Civile e Architettura\u201d, nei settori \u201cDesign e Progettazione tecnologica dell\u2019Architettura\u201d \u2013 in particolare \u201cDisegno Industriale\u201d \u2013 e in parte anche nel settore \u201cGeomatica\u201d. Il tema della Valorizzazione del Patrimonio UNESCO in chiave for All \u2013 ambito problematico principale \u2013 \ue8 stato inteso come un ombrello che copre e collega le varie discipline. Questa Tesi, seguendo le principali metodologie di ricerca appartenenti al campo del Design e della Ricerca Sociologica, consta di due parti principali: la prima (Capitoli 2 e 3) definisce il quadro teorico degli ambiti problematici e tematici assunti come base scientifica del lavoro; la seconda (Capitolo 5, 6 e 7) descrive la sperimentazione scientifico-progettuale che \ue8 stata l\u2019oggetto del triennio di Dottorato. Ulteriori tre parti arricchiscono il quadro delle conoscenze descritto: la prima (Capitolo 1) presenta sinteticamente lo studio nella sua interezza, delineandone i contenuti, gli obiettivi e la metodologia adottata; la seconda (Capitolo 4) propone, seguendo un approccio deduttivo-induttivo, le Domande e l\u2019Ipotesi di Ricerca, rappresentando una sorta di milestone che collega la prima parte, quella teorico-analitica, con la seconda, operativo-sperimentale. Infine, la terza (Capitolo 8) sintetizza i principali risultati scientifici, evidenzia i limiti intrinseci, suggerisce opportunit\ue0 future e potenziali applicazioni

Sostenibilit\ue0 sociale del progetto dell'accessibilit\ue0 visiva negli ambienti familiari.

The accessibility of spaces, facilities and services is one of the essential requirements of contemporary models that, in the ethics of a proper inclusive design, undertake important strategies for the realization of socially sustainable architectures with a consequent achievement of greater environmental quality and enhancement of public goods. In this context some Institutes of Friuli Venezia Giulia are working (ref. Regional Council of Associations of Persons with Disabilities and their Families of FVG). They, in collaboration with some Courses of Architecture of the University of Udine and Trieste, have start lines of applied research aimed to promoting the culture of inclusion. Here, is particular the participatory process developed in the design of multisensory accessibility; this essay describes the research context for proposing an interpretation of the potentialities and strengths that a careful design on sense-perceptual deficits can makes to the design of Social Housing spaces