Master in Sustainable Car Design

The Course

The course aims at elaborating the future of sports cars design through the analysis of current design trends and through philosophical thinking about the profound changes that the “car product” is undergoing.

The availability of new and innovative energy sources, from solar to hydrogen, will not only create new machines but also a radical shift in the transportation paradigm. Aesthetics and use of sports cars will go through a complete rethinking and a new vision is required.

The objective of this course is to create a new design vernacular for future sports cars through a semiotic analysis of the significance of sport and its relation with the human being. At the Ferrari and Lamborghini Museums, it will be possible to examine in depth the significance of sports cars in the very context where they were first created.

Study objectives

Multidisciplinary approach and Design thinking:

Students learn to adapt knowledge, skills and new approaches to reach collaborative solutions based on ecological, economical and socio-cultural sustainability.

Students learn to apply creative problem-solving methods and tools in facilitating dialogs, defining problems, generating ideas and obtaining solutions.

Content of the studies

The Creative Sustainability program comprises classroom lessons, group assignments workshops, practical projects, and a thesis. Courses deepen the basis for professional skills in sustainable product design. Courses and projects are carried out within topics of interest for partner organizations that can be local or international car manufacturers, energy providers, city planners or other associations or public organizations.

The Master consists of 60 ECTS composed of compulsory studies in the Department of Design, compulsory Creative Sustainability design studies and optional studies. The pedagogical approach is based on integrating teaching and research, problem-based learning, and a strong connection to practical outcomes.

Course List for Master Studies 2020

Block One: Design Full Immersion Studies (Motor Valley Museums)

• Design Full Immersion Studies @ Ferrari Museum
• Design Full Immersion Studies @ Lamborghini Museum
• Design Full Immersion Studies @ Ducati Museum
• Design Full Immersion Studies @ Pagani Museum
• Design Full Immersion Studies @ Maserati Museum

Block Two: Semiotic Studies (Maranello Village Classroom)

• Semiotic studies 1: Introduction to Semiotics
• Semiotic studies 2: The Power of Myth
• Semiotic studies 3: Semiotics of Sustainability
• Semiotic studies 4: Semiotics of Transport Design
• Semiotics of Lamborghini design: tradition and modernity
• Semiotics of Ducati design: from Centaur to Unicorn
• Semiotics of Ferrari design: the Sign of Power

Block Three: Strategic Design (Maranello Village Classroom)

• History of Design
• Aesthetic Studies
• Cultural Anthropology
• Strategic Design Studies: Coherence between product and Brand design Block Four: Sustainable Design (Maranello Village Classroom)
• Sustainable Design
• Philosophy of Sustainability
• Epistemology of Forms: Origin and meanings
• Artistic identity through an analysis of forms

Block Five: Professional Transportation Design Studies (Maranello Village Classroom)

• Vehicle engineering studies
• Symbiosis between vehicles and city
• Professional Car Design Studies: Ferrari designer Janmejay Desay Masterclass

Block Six: Historical Perspectives on Sports and City (Universita Europea di Roma Classroom)

• Dynamism: epistemology of forms throughout history (Universita Europea di Roma Classroom)
• History of Beauty: meaning and artistic expressions throughout history (Universita Europea di Roma Classroom)
• History of Cities: Early models, Evolution, and Sustainability (Universita Europea di Roma Classroom)