Design International - Open Access

Interior design is less and less reduced to the mere physical component of space and is instead increasingly projected towards an ‘environmental system’ made up of space, services, communication, and technology. The book highlights the close interconnections between the design of spaces, the creation of services, the application of communication systems, and the exploitation of technologies, allowing us to reveal the tensions and interactions that are unleashed depending on the prevalence of one or another design discipline and the scale at which they take place.

Starting with the knowledge related to Ergonomics in Design and design for inclusion, this book aims to provide an opened and integrated point of view to the disciplines of cognitive psychology, pedagogy and human-computer interaction. It configures as a flexible tool for understanding key aspects concerning the use of technologies and their effects, with special regards to the experiential dimension on a human scale, particularly tailored to weaker people.

This book investigates the role of interior design in the enhancement of the effectiveness of Non-Pharmacological therapies for Alzheimer’s disease care.  The author presents the conceptual model for an environmental system called “Therapeutic Habitat”, meant as a system of environmental interventions, based on tangible and intangible aspects, products and furniture, objects and services. Its aim is to enhance the well-being of people with dementia and stimulate recognition and interaction with the surrounding environment.

Neighbourhoods of contemporary cities are ‘hypersensitive’ and ‘fragile’ areas where dismantling and transformation processes generate fragmentation and displacement. Reconstruction and re-occupation of urban spaces guided by residents are becoming increasingly frequent in these places. This book presents some reflections on the role of design discipline in this fertile and proactive context, proposing specific research methodologies and intervention strategies in close relation with the resident population, building new skills, creating original synergies, and new processes of inclusion and social innovation.