Benedetto Quaquaro

Didattica

Extreme Spaces

I edizione

• English

• ottobre 2027

• Interior Design and Architecture

Bio

ITA | Architetto, designer, Ph.D., è un riferimento internazionale nel campo del Design for Extreme and Space Environments. Insegna alla Scuola del Design del Politecnico di Milano nei Master of Science in Interior and Spatial Design e Integrated Product Design ed è responsabile di ESA_LAB@PoliMi_Design, laboratorio di ricerca sviluppato in collaborazione con l’Agenzia Spaziale Europea (ESA).

Ha ideato e conduce, insieme a Annalisa Dominoni, “Space4InspirACTion”, primo corso accademico strutturato di architettura e design spaziale supportato da ESA (dal 2017), e “X-Habitat”, programma dedicato alla progettazione per ambienti estremi (dal 2025).

Ha iniziato la propria carriera nella progettazione navale, sviluppando imbarcazioni ad alte prestazioni e maturando un approccio progettuale orientato alla relazione tra sistema, struttura e comportamento in ambienti estremi. Successivamente ha collaborato con la Tecno di Osvaldo Borsani, lavorando con architetti di rilievo internazionale quali Norman Foster e Gae Aulenti, e sviluppando collaborazioni con artisti come Getulio Alviani, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Luigi Veronesi e Bruno Munari.

Nel 2011 ha fondato, insieme a Annalisa Dominoni, lo studio di design (a+b) dominoni quaquaro, attivo in ambiti progettuali trasversali: transportation design per la grande industria, fashion tech, collezioni di oggetti e furniture per aziende, limited editions per gallerie d’arte e design. L’approccio dello studio si caratterizza per la capacità di coniugare innovazione tecnologica e dimensione poetica del progetto, integrando performance, ergonomia e qualità sensoriale in contesti complessi ed estremi.

Tra i progetti più significativi si annoverano i treni Leonardo della metropolitana milanese per ATM, prodotti da Hitachi Rail Italy (2015), e gli oggetti acustici Pinna per Caimi Brevetti (2019), entrambi riconosciuti con ADI Design Index – Compasso d’Oro XXV e DIA Design Intelligence Award. Per Thales Alenia Space ha progettato, insieme a Annalisa Dominoni, il concept “Sensory Space Station”, una stazione orbitante multisensoriale che introduce un modulo dedicato al benessere percettivo degli astronauti attraverso soluzioni integrate di luce, colore e materiali volte a compensare la carenza di stimoli naturali in ambienti confinati e a gravità ridotta.

Progetta habitat ed equipaggiamenti per ambienti estremi ed extraterrestri con le maggiori agenzie spaziali ESA, NASA, ASI; industrie quali Thales Alenia Space, Virgin Galactic, Argotec; enti governativi come MAECI e i centri di ricerca ICE CNR, CREA, INGV, INAF, ENEA, oltre a importanti aziende del design e dell’industria italiana quali Barilla, Benetton Group, Caimi Brevetti, Colmar, Dainese, Foscarini, Jacuzzi, Technogym e altre realtà produttive.

È curatore di “Design Spaziale Italiano”, progetto espositivo multimediale itinerante promosso dal Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale presentato in sedi diplomatiche internazionali tra cui Bruxelles, Praga, Parigi, Londra, Vienna e Tallinn (2024–2025), dedicato al ruolo strategico del Design nei processi di innovazione legati all’esplorazione spaziale. DSI raccoglie i risultati di oltre venticinque anni di ricerca e attività progettuale all’avanguardia nell’ambito dell’Architettura e del Design per lo Spazio sviluppati al Politecnico di Milano.

I suoi progetti e le sue ricerche sono stati esposti in contesti internazionali quali la 23a Triennale Internazionale “Unknown Unknowns. An Introduction to Mysteries”, il Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia “Leonardo Da Vinci”, il London Science Museum, la Frankfurt Messe, oltre ad altre sedi culturali e scientifiche in Europa e nel mondo.

Ha ricevuto numerosi riconoscimenti internazionali tra i quali: ADI Design Index (Edizioni 2016, 2017, 2019), DIA Intelligent Award Honorable Mention (2020), Premio Focus Raymond Zreick per la Tecnologia e l’Innovazione (2022), BIG SEE Product Design Award (2024).

Ha pubblicato saggi scientifici sulla cultura del progetto e sul Design per lo Spazio fra i quali Le città dell’universo (Il Saggiatore, 2023), Space Design Learning. An Innovative Approach of Space Education Through Design, 69th International Astronautical Congress (2018), Space4Inspiration: Survival Lab. Designing Countermeasures for Natural Disasters, Design Journal (2017).

Italian Design Ambassador e visiting professor presso prestigiose università internazionali, tra cui Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New York; International Space University (ISU); Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University (RGU); Luleå University of Technology; GD Goenka University.

ENG | Architect, designer and Ph.D., he is an international reference in the field of Design for Extreme and Space Environments. He teaches at the School of Design of Politecnico di Milano within the Master of Science programs in Interior and Spatial Design and Integrated Product Design, and leads ESA_LAB@PoliMi_Design, a research laboratory developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA).

Together with Annalisa Dominoni, he created and leads “Space4InspirACTion”, the first structured academic course in space architecture and design supported by ESA (since 2017), and “X-Habitat”, a program dedicated to design for extreme environments (since 2025).

He began his career in naval design, developing high-performance boats and establishing a design approach focused on the relationship between system, structure and behaviour in extreme environments. He later collaborated with Tecno under Osvaldo Borsani, working with internationally renowned architects such as Norman Foster and Gae Aulenti, and developed projects and collaborations with artists including Getulio Alviani, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Luigi Veronesi and Bruno Munari.

In 2011, together with Annalisa Dominoni, he founded the design studio (a+b) dominoni quaquaro, active across diverse design fields: transportation design for large industry, fashion tech, object and furniture collections for companies, and limited editions for art and design galleries. The studio’s work is characterized by the ability to combine technological innovation with a poetic dimension of design, integrating performance, ergonomics and sensory quality in complex and extreme contexts.

Among the most significant projects are the Leonardo trains for the Milan metro system (ATM), produced by Hitachi Rail Italy (2015), and the Pinna acoustic objects for Caimi Brevetti (2019), both recognized with ADI Design Index, Compasso d’Oro XXV and DIA Design Intelligence Award. For Thales Alenia Space, he designed, together with Annalisa Dominoni, the “Sensory Space Station” concept, an orbital multisensory station introducing a module dedicated to astronauts’ perceptual well-being through integrated solutions of light, colour and materials aimed at compensating for the lack of natural stimuli in confined and reduced-gravity environments.

He designs habitats and equipment for extreme and extraterrestrial environments with major space agencies including ESA, NASA and ASI; industries such as Thales Alenia Space, Virgin Galactic and Argotec; governmental institutions such as MAECI and research centres including ICE, CNR, CREA, INGV, INAF and ENEA, as well as leading Italian design and industrial companies including Barilla, Benetton Group, Caimi Brevetti, Colmar, Dainese, Foscarini, Jacuzzi and Technogym.

His projects and research have been exhibited internationally, including at the 23rd International Exhibition of the Milan Triennale “Unknown Unknowns. An Introduction to Mysteries”, the National Museum of Science and Technology “Leonardo da Vinci”, the London Science Museum and the Frankfurt Messe, among other cultural and scientific venues in Europe and worldwide.

He has received numerous international awards including ADI Design Index (2016, 2017 and 2019 editions), DIA Intelligent Award Honorable Mention (2020), the Focus Raymond Zreick Award for Technology and Innovation (2022), and the BIG SEE Product Design Award (2024).

He is curator of “Design Spaziale Italiano”, a multimedia travelling exhibition promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, presented in diplomatic venues including Brussels, Prague, Paris, London, Vienna and Tallinn (2024–2025), dedicated to the strategic role of design in innovation processes related to space exploration. DSI brings together over twenty-five years of advanced research and design activities in Architecture and Space Design developed at Politecnico di Milano.

He has published scientific essays on design culture and space design, including Le città dell’universo (Il Saggiatore, 2023), Space Design Learning. An Innovative Approach of Space Education Through Design, 69th International Astronautical Congress (2018), and Space4Inspiration: Survival Lab. Designing Countermeasures for Natural Disasters, The Design Journal (2017).

Italian Design Ambassador and visiting professor at prestigious international universities, including Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New York; International Space University (ISU); Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University (RGU); Luleå University of Technology.