How do you design what you cannot see? With its executive course in Olfactive Design and the Master’s in Designing Atmospheres, POLI.design answers this question and opens a new chapter in design education: that of the invisible qualities of space.
For years, spatial design has focused primarily on what can be seen and touched: forms, surfaces, materials and colours. Today, however, architecture and design are increasingly grappling with less tangible yet equally decisive dimensions of the experience of spaces: smells, sounds, perception, air quality, emotional comfort and the relationship between the body and space. This is where the research and training work that POLI.design is developing around the theme of ‘immaterial design’ comes in – an interdisciplinary field that integrates sensory design, environmental design, neuroscience and environmental psychology to rethink the way we experience contemporary spaces.
‘For centuries, design has focused almost exclusively on sight. Today, we must learn to consider space as a complex experience, one that involves the body, memory, emotions and behaviour. The senses are a fundamental design tool for fostering wellbeing, identity and the quality of living’ Anna Barbara, President and Professor at POLI.design
Beyond the visible: designing for intangible qualities
As part of this transformation, POLI.design is developing an educational programme dedicated to the invisible components of experience. Smells, sounds, light, ventilation, microclimate and perceptual dimensions become genuine design tools, capable of influencing behaviour, memory, the identity of places and people’s wellbeing.
Olfactive Design: designing the air
Conceived and coordinated by Anna Barbara – architect, President of POLI.design and one of the first scholars to have addressed smell as a subject of design – the course approaches the olfactory dimension of spaces not as a decorative element, but as a structural component of the architectural experience.
The sense of smell is therefore treated as a design discipline for creating atmospheres, triggering emotional memories and influencing the relationship between the body and space.
‘Olfactive design is the design of the olfactory dimension of spaces’, explains Anna Barbara. ‘It is not simply about choosing a fragrance, but about how the air moves, how molecules are distributed, how long the olfactory notes last, and how they interact with materials, humidity, ventilation and human behaviour’.
Scents are tools that trigger recognition, orientation, comfort and memory. They are design tools in every sense: they are used in retail and hospitality, but also in healthcare settings, museums, workplaces, educational spaces and cultural installations.
The programme – comprising 80 hours of online and face-to-face lessons – covers topics ranging from the history and anthropology of smell to neuroscience, from olfactory chemistry to air quality, right through to the relationship between odours, materials, ventilation and the identity of places.
Aimed at designers, architects, brand strategists, curators, museographers and communication experts, the course trains professionals to engage with experts in chemistry, ventilation, materials and sensory marketing in order to create integrated and coherent olfactory experiences.
Designing Atmospheres: new skills for spatial design
The Master’s programme in Designing Atmospheres – Next skills and qualities for spaces and interiors, directed by Anna Barbara with Maria Porro as co-director and Barbara Camocini as scientific coordinator, stems from the idea that the digital revolution has transformed not only technological tools but also the way we inhabit, perceive and experience spaces.
The design of spaces must now take into account emotional, temporal, sensory and relational components. ‘Atmosphere’ thus becomes a genuine subject of design. Light, colour, materials, smells, sounds, microclimate, immersive technologies and behaviour are integrated to create spatial experiences that can influence people’s psychological and social wellbeing.
The programme expands the traditional role of the spatial designer by introducing cross-disciplinary skills that combine design, neuroscience, storytelling, environmental psychology, immersive technologies and experience management.
The curriculum addresses topics such as Sense-Based Design, dedicated to creating sensory experiences within environments, and Space/Time-Based Design, which views the design as a dynamic, evolving system influenced by flows, temporality, behaviours and interactions between the physical and digital dimensions.
The twelve-month Master’s programme alternates between online theory lectures, workshops, outdoor practical sessions, study tours, experiences during Milan Design Week and placements at professional practices and international companies.
From multisensory design to contemporary design
The teaching staff brings together figures from different fields – architecture, neuroscience, interaction design, art, performance and environmental research – including Philippe Rahm, teamLab Architects, Studio Drift, Giuliana Bruno, Davide Ruzzon and Marco Balich.
A common cultural direction emerges in both pathways: moving beyond an exclusively visual conception of architecture and design to approach space as a complex, multisensory and relational experience.
