This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.
University Lecturer
01 August 2020 - 30 August 2021
Maurizio Vrenna is a Lecturer in Design at Wenzhou-Kean University, China. He holds a Ph.D. in Management, Production, and Design from Politecnico di Torino, Italy (2021). During his professional and academic career in Europe and Asia, he has been involved in the development of sustainable products and services. As an independent expert, he performs advisory services for Climate-KIC, Europe’s largest public–private innovation partnership focused on climate change. His research interests focus on sustainable design and product-service system design. He is a member of Association of Italian Academics in China (AAIIC).
Consumers’ eating habits are gradually changing. In the next few decades, this shift will not be solely dictated by individuals’ decisions but by the need to feed an ever-increasing population in the face of global resources’ impoverishment. Novel superfoods rich in nutrients and produced with sustainable methods, including microalgae, maybe a solution. However, their unusual aspect, the palatability, and the lack of knowledge by most people could be obstacles to adoption. This study aims at encouraging the use of microalgae as food, highlighting the importance that design plays in the transition towards more sustainable production and consumption patterns. Through practice-based design research, characterized by empirical experiments, a survey, an engaging workshop, and the development of a fully-functional open-source product, the authors conceptualize a theoretical framework within which similar product-service systems could thrive. This real-world experimentation is of interest for academics, professionals, makers in the field of design, etc. It suggests that multidisciplinarity, education, and replicability are the keys to addressing this topic and paves the way for further technical and humanistic research.
Maurizio Vrenna; Pier Peruccio; Xin Liu; Fang Zhong; YuChi Sun. Microalgae as Future Superfoods: Fostering Adoption through Practice-Based Design Research. Sustainability 2021, 13, 2848 .
AMA StyleMaurizio Vrenna, Pier Peruccio, Xin Liu, Fang Zhong, YuChi Sun. Microalgae as Future Superfoods: Fostering Adoption through Practice-Based Design Research. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (5):2848.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaurizio Vrenna; Pier Peruccio; Xin Liu; Fang Zhong; YuChi Sun. 2021. "Microalgae as Future Superfoods: Fostering Adoption through Practice-Based Design Research." Sustainability 13, no. 5: 2848.
Historically, the design discipline has been strictly connected to the productive sector. For this reason, past design education was mainly related to the world of arts and crafts and technology. With such a vertical specialization, designers could not deeply grasp the potential repercussions of their design choices. Their commitment was largely tied in with mass-production and unconstrained technological innovation. Increased awareness of the complexity of the world has raised in the last decades. Designers nowadays are requested to achieve new transversal skills and competencies, to cope with the incumbent metamorphoses of cultures, societies, economies, and natural environments. Thus, a linear mono-disciplinary outlook is not anymore adequate in design pedagogy. Educators need to embrace a holistic approach and to activate new collaborations, to train experts capable of configuring and managing complex design activities. This paper analyses the rise of systemic thinking and its reverberations on design studies, with an overview of geographical and temporal contributions. It invites to reflect on the role of present-day designers and on the importance of embedding humanistic and economic values in the design knowledge. Furthermore, it illustrates the directions for a systemic transdisciplinary education in Master’s degree programs and Ph.D. courses in Design, aimed at providing the necessary tools to a new and responsible generation of professionals. The awareness of their important and influential roles in society should be inspiring and lead to the creation of innovative entrepreneurial activities.
Pier Paolo Peruccio; Paola Menzardi; Maurizio Vrenna. Transdisciplinary Knowledge: A Systemic Approach to Design Education. Insider Knowledge - Proceedings of the Design Research Society Learn X Design Conference, 2019 2019 .
AMA StylePier Paolo Peruccio, Paola Menzardi, Maurizio Vrenna. Transdisciplinary Knowledge: A Systemic Approach to Design Education. Insider Knowledge - Proceedings of the Design Research Society Learn X Design Conference, 2019. 2019; ():.
Chicago/Turabian StylePier Paolo Peruccio; Paola Menzardi; Maurizio Vrenna. 2019. "Transdisciplinary Knowledge: A Systemic Approach to Design Education." Insider Knowledge - Proceedings of the Design Research Society Learn X Design Conference, 2019 , no. : .