INCLUSIVE DESIGN.
ETH Exhibition at House of Switzerland,
Milano Design Week 2023.

Design can be a life-changer. Design can break down barriers. Design can become a force of inclusion.
Inclusive Design, an interactive exhibition developed by ETH Zurich, was presented at Milano Design Week 2023 at the House of Switzerland, inviting visitors to explore how design enables participation and accessibility.

The exhibition was conceived as an architectural prosthesis. Existing high-quality Swiss products were deliberately “hacked” and reconfigured to demonstrate current research and development in inclusive design and assistive technologies. Rather than introducing new objects, the project operates by modifying and extending what already exists.

Inclusive Design was designed as a travelling exhibition. A lightweight metal structure supports magnetic graphic panels that can be applied, removed, and reconfigured, allowing the exhibition to adapt to different spatial contexts and curatorial arrangements.

Expose - The exhibition exposes the everyday barriers embedded in products, environments, and systems. By altering familiar objects, Inclusive Design makes visible the often-unseen assumptions that exclude bodies, abilities, and experiences.

Mediate - The project mediates research on inclusive design by translating it into spatial and material configurations accessible to a broad public.
Complex technological and design strategies are communicated through direct experience rather than explanation.

Activate - Inclusive Design activates participation by inviting visitors to engage physically and cognitively with the exhibition. Through interaction and reconfiguration, the exhibition enables users to test, understand, and appropriate inclusive design strategies.