From March 2nd to 6th, the City Becomes a “City of Design”: A Permanent Ecosystem of International Workshops, Distributed Exhibitions, and Technological Challenges
Pordenone reaffirms itself as a capital of project culture. Pordenone Design Week 2026 evolves and renews itself, officially taking on the name “Pordenone Design Week – City of Design”. No longer just a week-long event, it has become a permanent cultural ecosystem. For its 15th edition, it focuses on one of the most urgent challenges of our time: the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the role of the designer.
An Opening Defined by Excellence
The curtain rises on Monday, March 2nd, at the Pordenone University Consortium. The highlight of the inauguration will be the lectio magistralis by architect Luisa Collina, Vice President of the Fondazione Politecnico di Milano. Her speech, “Contemporary Design Challenges: Valuing Origins and Looking to the Future,” will set the course for the young talents and professionals in attendance.
The Heart of Design: Workshops and International Scope
The true engine of the event is the corporate workshops. This year, Pordenone’s “culture of making” meets Europe: thanks to the BIP – Erasmus+ program, delegations from five European countries (Finland, France, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Spain) will participate.
Students from ISIA Roma Design will work side-by-side with companies and PhD candidates to develop concrete solutions for sustainability and innovation. As highlighted by Scientific Director Giuseppe Marinelli, the challenge is to address the new paradigms of the Knowledge Economy and the irreversible advance of non-human intelligence.
Distributed Design: “Lezioni in Vetrina” and City Center Exhibitions
Pordenone doesn’t just host design in classrooms; it brings it to the streets:
- Lezioni in Vetrina (March 4-5): shops and showrooms in the historic center transform into open laboratories, creating a direct dialogue between designers and the public.
- “Arcipelago Design” Exhibition: a city-wide exhibition featuring eight installations exploring the link between nature, production processes, and business. The exhibition will travel across the region through the end of 2026.
Beyond the Week: A Permanent Calendar
Design Week does not end on March 6th. The 2026 calendar includes year-round appointments dedicated to biodesign, healthcare space quality, and urban regeneration, culminating in a major conference in June regarding AI applications in small and medium-sized cities.
