Dezeen School Shows: an interiors scheme that uses AI and scent to help ease symptoms of Dementia is included in Dezeen's latest school show by students at Istituto Europeo di Design.

Also included is an adaptive reuse project that turns a former slaughterhouse in Rome into an educational centre and a space designed to connect local people with traditional Catalan culture and food.

Istituto Europeo di Design (IED)

Institution: Istituto Europeo di Design (IED)
School: Design School
Course: Interior Design
Tutors: Ignasi Bonjoch (IED Barcelona), Adelaide Testa (IED Torino), Federica Bosoni (IED Milano), Marco Provinciali (IED Roma), Javier Deferrari (IED Firenze) and Maurizio Bosa (IED Cagliari)

School statement:

"The principle of human-centred design is challenged by a new paradigm in which, from the centre of the world, the human becomes one among multiple components of an ecosystem.

"Humans, nature and technology are the components of this ecosystem and their multiple interactions generate the fields of investigation of the design of the future.

"Only with the awareness of this new perspective can design permeate industrial and non-industrial production processes in every product sector in terms of contents, languages, expressive and formal codes, technical and functional aspects, to continue to generate innovation.

"Students learn about the different applications of spatial, furniture, parametric project design, lighting and exhibit design.

"In last year's final projects, the students decided to take on the challenge of reinventing spaces while focusing on sustainability and urban regeneration."

Memento by Nicolás Alfonso Garcia

"Memento proposes a new experiential and spatial service that stimulates and heals the brain through memory using smell.

"It aims to heal and treat ailments ethically and reflexively through design and creativity.

"The project proposes a network of abandoned spaces, awakening forgotten memories through olfactory devices in constant transformation and change, thanks to the personalisation and use of artificial intelligence.

"Memento is a global company that offers sensory search and processing services through devices that emit olfactory substances, fully personalised to the user, through websites, apps and other platforms.

"Data is collected on this experience with smells and how they can evoke memories for future translation into data and research to be used in the area of health and Alzheimer's, among others."

Student: Nicolás Alfonso Garcia
Course: IED Madrid – Bachelor's of Art in Interior Design

Calli by Arantxa Erazo

"Calli is a project designed to improve the well-being of rural communities in North, Central and South America.

"The objective is to create hospital networks to improve access to traditional health care.

"Erazo wants to create a solution for indigenous communities who, when faced with health emergencies, decide to stay in their town due to a lack of resources and nearby equipped infrastructures.

"With this initiative, she aims to improve the lives of all people by listening to their needs and offering solutions that are not invasive for these communities."

Student: Arantxa Erazo
Course: IED Madrid – Bachelor's of Art in Interior Design

Amigdala by Elena Bicocchi

"The work is developed by IED Roma in collaboration with Reggio Children, an international centre for the defence and promotion of the rights of children.

"Amigdala is a project that promotes education by redeveloping a large space inside a former slaughterhouse in the Testaccio district.

"A learning hub dedicated to a young target audience between the ages of 14 and 18 has been integrated into the space, conceived as a meeting and exchange place, where a wide range of cultural activities can be hosted through methods appropriate to the target audience.

"It thus incorporates natural and animal figures to invoke, through concepts and images, new relational modes with other species under an anti-speciesist sphere and in response to communities facing complex and global issues such as environmental exploitation and the climate crisis."

Student: Elena Bicocchi
Course: IED Roma – Three-Year Diploma in Interior Design

Nest: Natural Experience with Sparrows by Patricia Belma

"House sparrows have traditionally been a common species in cities, but today, we are witnessing their gradual disappearance.

"Given their role as a bioindicator of the quality of urban life, the student focuses this project on preserving these birds within the new environment they inhabit, the wooded areas close to cities.

"To achieve this, she envisages a centre located in the Collserola Natural Park, considered to be Barcelona's green lung. Here, they can be protected and provided with a nest and adequate food.

"She also conceives various activities for the space that aim to raise citizen awareness and promote action on this issue, such as observatories, listening areas, and areas for outreach and relaxation.

"The project received an Honourable Mention, IED Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue Award for Best Interior Design Thesis."

Student: Patricia Belma
Course: IED Barcelona – Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design

Serendipity by Alberto Bolgan and Stefania Xiao Cheng

"Serendipity proposes the functional reactivation and re‐use of the Cusago Castle, which is currently empty and abandoned.

"All the activities that will take place inside must give the possibility to anyone who passes by to leave a trace, an additional layer that can embellish the castle of Cusago and return it to its former glory.

"The structures inside the space will be mostly modular and adaptable to the various needs of users.

"The students used materials with strong materiality such as wood, corten and cement in contrast with lighter ones such as glass."

Students: Alberto Bolgan and Stefania Xiao Cheng
Course: IED Milano – Three Year Course in Interior Design

The Alternative Space by Amit Arbiv

"The project functions as a tool for better coping with crowded areas through a flexible and modular space that is designed with the idea of de-stressing in mind.

"The project has no specific location and its principles can be implemented in various locations as long as the guidelines are applied.

"The space comprises four different components that can be used separately or joined into one, each space was carefully researched and designed to promote calmness.

"During the design process, Arbiv learned about the important things in interior design that can assure relaxation and de-stress people, such as colours, lighting and shapes."

Student: Amit Arbiv
Course: IED Firenze – Three-Year Course in Interior and Furniture Design

What if? by Martina Babini, Giada Bove and Alessandro Melzi

"Today, we pretend we are living in normality, aware of the problems surrounding us but we delay solving them.

"We do not want to accept that our houses are breaking down. More than ever before, the housing system requires alternative proposals.

"As a society, we need to learn to live in minimal, hybrid spaces and share the facilities that we have become accustomed to because resources are beginning to dwindle, and the only way to slow this descent is to reduce consumption.

"The redevelopment of existing buildings presents a future opportunity for the realisation of real solutions, with a focus on environmental, economic and social sustainability."

Students: Martina Babini, Giada Bove and Alessandro Melzi
Course: IED Torino – Three Year Course in Interior Design

The Heart of Flavours by Marioara Cojocaru and Chiara Avvento

"The Heart of Flavours is a redevelopment project for the Nuovo Calisse Market located in the Don Bosco neighbourhood of Rome that aims to cater to the needs of future generations while addressing the challenges the market faces today.

"The new layout is intended to make the centre of the market the true beating heart, capable of connecting and uniting its previously disconnected galleries.

"Additionally, new connection spaces have been introduced for the community to foster a sense of belonging, including a square, a smart-working station and a game room.

"Through these measures, the market aims to reestablish strong community bonds, transforming into an interactive space that can also address social needs.

"This work is part of the 'Mercato Futuro' project in which students, in collaboration with Roma Capitale, were tasked with imagining and designing a market of the future, a place that embraces the fields of architecture and design while emphasising sustainability and new technologies."

Students: Marioara Cojocaru and Chiara Avvento
Course: IED Roma – Three-Year Course in Interior Design

Alacre by Edoardo de Muro

"Alacre proposes new spaces for the Eliseo Theatre in Nuoro – places of experimentation, workshops and theatre production projects.

"The thesis aims to develop a scheme for the re-fitting of the theatre, starting from the redevelopment and regeneration of both internal and external spaces.

"The project considers sustainable interventions that contemplate the study of the furnishings and lighting components in the areas destined for the public, both during the performance and during breaks or convivial moments, and the communication of the theatre's activities."

Student: Edoardo de Muro
Course: IED Cagliari – Three-Year Course in Interior Design

Bridging Generations by Hafdís Katrín Hlynsdóttir

"The objectives of this project – a centre for intergenerational learning in the Catalan region of Maresme – are to build bridges between young and old, and foster connections between urban and rural areas.

"The student designed a space for collective knowledge, exchange and the preservation of cultural heritage and habitat by way of a three-step ritual — storytelling, participation and reflection — that guides participants through a transformative journey.

"The space houses a library with collections of local materials, documents and books on the biodiversity of the area accessible to everyone, as well as a tasting area for regional products.

"The design preserves the original elements of the Can Reon masía – or farmhouse – such as the small windows that help to maintain an optimal interior temperature, and uses natural materials such as oak and earth tones and textures to create a relaxing atmosphere by exploring the balance between natural light and shadows."

Student: Hafdís Katrín Hlynsdóttir
Course: IED Barcelona – Bachelor's of Art in Interior Design

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and the Istituto Europeo di Design. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.