Published on 24 November 2025 by ISAD — School of Design in Milan

In the second year of ISAD's design curriculum, students move beyond foundational exercises and confront the complex realities of spatial and product design. The Progetti 2 course challenges them to synthesize research, concept, and technical resolution into fully realized proposals. The four projects presented here — Gyakusou Nike Undercover Lab Shop Design, Ahuir340, Cohors, and Green Factory — demonstrate a remarkable range of scales, programs, and design philosophies, each rooted in a deep understanding of context, user, and materiality.

Gyakusou Nike Undercover Lab Shop Design: Retail as Immersive Brand Narrative

The Gyakusou project tasked students with designing a retail environment for the collaborative running line between Nike and Undercover, a brand known for its avant-garde fashion sensibility. The challenge was not merely to display products but to create a spatial embodiment of the Gyakusou ethos: a fusion of high-performance athletic wear and subcultural, almost rebellious, aesthetic codes. Students began by deconstructing the brand's visual identity, examining everything from garment construction to lookbook photography, and translating these cues into architectural language.

Proposals ranged from stark, gallery-like spaces that emphasized the sculptural quality of the garments to more immersive environments that simulated the experience of running through urban landscapes at night. A recurring theme was the use of unexpected materials — raw concrete, reflective metals, and translucent fabrics — to mirror the tension between technical precision and raw energy inherent in the collaboration. The most successful projects understood that the store itself must function as a piece of communication, guiding the customer through a narrative journey rather than a simple transactional space.

"The Gyakusou shop is not just a place to buy clothes; it is a manifesto of movement, a space where the runner's body and the city's rhythm become one."

Ahuir340: Rethinking the Domestic Interior

Ahuir340 presented a different scale of inquiry: the design of a compact urban dwelling. The project brief called for a living unit that could adapt to the changing needs of a contemporary inhabitant, challenging the traditional separation of functions within the home. Students were encouraged to question assumptions about privacy, storage, and social interaction, exploring how flexible partitions, transformable furniture, and clever spatial zoning could maximize the potential of a limited footprint.

The name "Ahuir340" itself hints at a systematic approach, perhaps referencing a module or a specific dimension that served as a generative constraint. Many proposals embraced the idea of the "room within a room," creating micro-environments for sleeping, working, and relaxing that could be reconfigured throughout the day. Others focused on the vertical dimension, using elevated platforms and mezzanines to create visual and functional separation without sacrificing openness. The project underscored the importance of understanding human ergonomics and daily rituals as the foundation for residential design.

Cohors: Designing for Collective Living

Moving from the individual dwelling to the collective, the Cohors project explored the design of shared housing or co-living environments. This brief acknowledged a growing societal shift toward communal living models, driven by economic pressures, environmental concerns, and a desire for social connection. Students were asked to design not only private units but also the shared spaces — kitchens, lounges, workspaces, and outdoor areas — that would foster a sense of community among residents.

A central challenge was balancing privacy and sociability. How does one design a building that allows for both quiet retreat and spontaneous interaction? Proposals varied widely, from low-rise courtyard typologies that encouraged informal encounters to vertical communities organized around shared "sky gardens" and communal floors. The most thoughtful projects considered the long-term flexibility of the building, proposing structural systems that could accommodate changes in household composition or community needs over time. Cohors thus became a study in the architecture of social sustainability.

Green Factory: Production, Ecology, and the Urban Fabric

The Green Factory project shifted focus to the industrial realm, asking students to reimagine the factory not as a polluting eyesore but as a positive contributor to its urban and ecological context. The brief challenged the conventional separation of industry from residential and commercial areas, proposing a new hybrid typology where production, research, and public engagement could coexist. Students investigated manufacturing processes, material flows, and energy systems to develop proposals that were both environmentally responsible and economically viable.

Key themes included the integration of renewable energy sources, the use of recycled or bio-based materials, and the creation of green spaces that could mitigate the environmental impact of industrial activity. Some proposals envisioned factories with publicly accessible rooftops or ground floors, turning the production process into a spectacle that could educate and inspire. Others focused on the circular economy, designing buildings that could be easily disassembled and repurposed at the end of their life cycle. Green Factory demonstrated that industrial architecture, often overlooked, offers rich opportunities for innovative and meaningful design.

Methodology and Learning Outcomes

Across all four projects, the pedagogical approach at ISAD emphasizes a rigorous, research-driven process. Students are expected to begin with a thorough analysis of the project's context, users, and constraints, documenting their findings through diagrams, models, and written statements. This analytical phase is followed by an iterative design process, where concepts are tested and refined through drawings, physical models, and digital simulations. Critiques with faculty and visiting professionals provide crucial feedback at each stage.

The Progetti 2 course aims to develop not only technical skills but also critical thinking and the ability to articulate a clear design argument. Students learn to navigate the tension between creative intuition and practical constraints, and to understand that design is as much about asking the right questions as it is about finding answers. The projects showcased here are evidence of a maturing design sensibility, one that is prepared to engage with the complex challenges of the contemporary built environment.

Looking Ahead: The Trajectory of Design Education

The work produced in Progetti 2 serves as a foundation for the more advanced and specialized projects that follow in the curriculum. Students who have grappled with the complexities of retail branding, adaptable housing, collective living, and sustainable industry are well-prepared to tackle the even more ambitious briefs of their final years. The ability to move fluidly between scales and programs, to think both analytically and synthetically, is a hallmark of the ISAD graduate.

• Gyakusou Nike Undercover Lab Shop Design: Explores the intersection of fashion, performance, and spatial narrative.
• Ahuir340: Investigates flexible and efficient solutions for compact urban living.
• Cohors: Proposes new models for collective housing that balance privacy and community.
• Green Factory: Reimagines industrial architecture as an ecological and social asset.

For those interested in exploring further, the next installment of student work can be found in Progetti 3, which continues to push the boundaries of design thinking. The journey through the ISAD curriculum is one of continuous discovery, and each project builds upon the last to create a comprehensive and forward-looking design education.

Written by ISAD — School of Design in Milan