Origins and historical context of the project's conception: EMERGENCY DESIGN/ DESIGN WINS THE WAR project was born following the trip of the Italian delegation to Lviv in March 2023 for the presentation of the international exhibition “Art Wind the War” organized by the VITAWORLD and VITAUKR associations in collaboration with the National Polytechnic University of Lviv. Cesare Castelli and Maria Christina Hamel of the Milano Makers association held a workshop with the students of the Institute of Architecture and Design of the Polytechnic and, in the preparation for this workshop and subsequent integration with the Ukrainian students and teachers, the idea of a innovative course that puts the students' skills at the service of the population of their country at war right from the start. Substance of the project: Imagine yourself coming from a city like Bakhmut or Mariupol. Cities that we have known well since the beginning of the invasion, destroyed cities, ghost cities. Imagine what happens after the liberation of these cities. Obviously people will want to return to the place where they lived happily before the war began. And therefore, before the big companies arrive, before even partial normality returns, there will certainly be people who will come there with the intention of repairing/rebuilding their homes, especially small villas, homes for one or two families. And here's the question: these people need comforts to survive and carry out their task, basic obviously. Like all humans, these people will have to: Eat Rest Socialize Even if they live in tents or other temporary solutions (containers / caves / houses that have remained standing) the need to create a welcoming environment will be there. Even more so because they will find themselves in a place devastated by war, in a place where many people have fallen, some dear to them. We thought about practicality (there won't be an Ikea nearby) and also about a therapeutic aspect: creating objects for everyday use can also be a way of immediately feeling smart (Ukrainians are very good at manual work) and also a processing of traumas and despondency. Interior design projects, designed with easily available materials considering the situation, accompanied by equally clear and universal instructions for any level of expertise, made available to the population in an open source catalog. Starting from this introduction we would like to identify with the students the essential types of furnishings to undertake a path of design and subsequent creation of prototypes with the final objective of making easily replicable and customizable interior furnishing solutions available to the Ukrainian population. Whatever context we find ourselves in, design culture cannot ignore the use of easily available, environmentally friendly materials that can be produced with low energy consumption technologies, easily assembled, with limited transport volumes and reduced packaging. The project was born as a response to the needs of a country at war, but it also sees its future as a solution for recovery after environmental disasters and natural catastrophes. Details: Materials: -materials found in the natural environment: wood, straw, ceramic, -war waste: armaments crates, rubble, pallets. -building and carpentry materials (these are the first to arrive). Objects: chairs, tables, beds, sofas. Student response: Institutes involved in 2023: Lviv National Polytechnic University Total students involved 28 Total selected projects 20 Design Lyceum Kherson Total students involved. 10 Total selected projects 10 Philosophical/therapeutic aspect. Design as therapy to overcome the trauma of war. Reject or Restore? Rebuild your future. Reconstitute a community starting from the housing project, "rebuild" souls starting from practical, concrete actions for the benefit of people. Putting your skills and competences at the service of people in difficulty - what better way to escape trauma and shock. Our intent is to ensure that Ukrainians from victims of war become superheroes because of their experiences. Unexpected considerations: In proposing the project we thought of the participants as designers for the users (population). During the meetings with the students we learned that they are also users, therefore they can propose solutions to their needs as refugees, as displaced people, as people who will have to rebuild their homes. Furthermore, the students of Lviv and Kherson are also linked by the catastrophic explosion of the dam that powers the Kahovka hydroelectric power plant by the Russian invaders. Some students from Lviv went to the scene of the disaster as relief volunteers EMERGENCY DESIGN AWARD 20.04.2024 CATEGORIES ; interior design, landscape design, product design, installation, Architecture, Visual Communication design, Graphic design. Jury_ Luisa Maria Virginia Collina prof. POLIMI Natalia Siassina presidente VITAWORLD, curator of project Emergency Design Paolo Ferrara general director of the Terre Des Hommes Italia foundation EMERGENCY DESIGN IIF Borgia_Giovanni #EmergencyDesign Courtesy Istituto Italiano di Fotografia @mentefusa