Learning from PROCESS!: Reflections on Experimental Design in Practice
Professors Grazielle Bruscato and Matan Mayer, co-curators of IE School of Architecture and Design’s 2024–2025 Lecture Series, reflect on its key takeaways and pedagogical value.
At a time when creativity is increasingly called upon to address systemic challenges - climate change, digital transformation, social inequality - the value of experimentation in the design process is more critical than ever. The 2024–2025 lecture series PROCESS! Experimental Practices for Creative Industries at IE School of Architecture and Design brought together voices from architecture, fashion, design, and visual arts to share how experimentation drives their work across diverse contexts.
The curatorial approach foregrounded experimentation as both a critical method and a way to navigate complexity, question norms while generating new forms of material and conceptual intelligence, often in response to constraints. From high-tech labs to grassroots fashion startups, and from curatorial practices to urban regeneration projects, the speakers each formed a multidisciplinary platform to reflect on the ethical, pedagogical, and practical transformations shaping today’s creative professions. The series' co-curators, professors Grazielle Bruscato and Matan Mayer, share some talk-by-talk highlights.
Nathan King opened the series by exploring the concept of “nimble convergence”—the ability to integrate diverse disciplines and working methods to unlock innovation and democratize technology in design and construction. Drawing on work at the Autodesk Technology Centers and the Virginia Tech Center for Design Research, he emphasized the importance of creating both physical and organizational structures that ensure the adequate inclusion of all stakeholders and address regional economic and cultural needs. He showcased projects co-developed by students, industry experts, and robots, including rapid-build clinics for underserved regions.
Andres Lepik, a leading voice in curatorial practice, argued that architecture exhibitions can themselves become "manifestos" - independent critical spaces that question dominant narratives and present new approaches to the discipline. A former curator at MoMA and current Director of the TUM Architecture Museum, he discussed how the curatorial process can be both experimental and participatory, capable of shaping architectural discourse and practice. He highlighted exhibitions such as "Small Scale, Big Change. New Architectures of Social Engagement" (MoMA, 2010/11) to show how critical curatorial practice is a methodical process that considers both the spatial conditions of the exhibition venue and the demands of the visitors from the outset.
José Aragüez from Yale University, alongside panelists Clara Murado, Ignacio Senra, and José Vela, delved into the architectural “infrastructure of ideas”. In his book Dispositional Intelligence in Architecture (Actar, 2024), Aragüez proposes a contemporary theory of spatial organization in architecture by examining hybrid design production shaped by engineering logics from the 1950s to 2000s. Combining historical depth and advanced theoretical inquiry, his lecture expanded on the dispositional possibilities for architecture enabled by the deep scientization of design that unfolded across the West over the course of the second half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first.
Livia Schaeffer, of UN-Habitat and UNITAC - the UN Innovation Technology Accelerator for Cities - focused on the ethical stakes of digital innovation in the public sector. She demonstrated how people-centered design, AI, and data can support resilient, inclusive urban systems, citing initiatives such as Block by Block, , which uses Minecraft as a participatory tool to help communities visualize and propose their ideas to city authorities in contexts such as Ukraine and Bangladesh.
Felipe Rocha, whose career spans Spotify, Pentagram, and the New York–based agency PORTO ROCHA (co-founded with Leo Porto), illustrated how designers can act as cultural agents. He emphasized the role of experimentation and storytelling in balancing client needs with personal vision to create bold, resonant brands. Examples ranged from large-scale work like Nike's installation on the facade of the Centre Pompidou to socially motivated initiatives like the Kunsthalle Basel’s new visual identity. He also presented the branding for the Perelman Performing Arts Center - the final piece in the rebuilding of the World Trade Center after 9/11 - inspired by its iconic cube-shaped architecture to convey broad public appeal.
Gustav Düsing advocated for a resource-conscious approach to design in the built environment: constructing with less materials, for a limited amount of time, and with adaptability in mind. He shared his winning competition entry for the German ambassador’s residence in Tel Aviv, which preserved the existing structure while extending its roof and adding multifunctional outdoor space for gatherings and receptions.
Ophélie Herranz and Paul Galindo of NOMOS Arquitectos emphasized the central role of drawings—not only as a means of documenting design intentions, but also as a tool for generating new ideas about the role of everyday life in shaping architectural spaces. They presented three projects in Madrid and Burkina Faso that prioritized user experience, challenging conventional approaches to spatial organization and materials.
Matylda Krzykowski presented her method of “strategic improvisation”—using unpredictability as a critical design tool. Her playful, interdisciplinary projects blend curation, scenography, performance and public discourse. She highlighted CIVIC, an educational and experimental center in Basel that promotes public participation and interdisciplinary collaboration across design, research, and education. Through this example, she demonstrated the power of spaces to enable collaboration and experimentation while promoting an understanding of the relevance of art and design to society.
Horacio González-Alemán, CEO of Gospel Estudios, reflected on creating a responsible fashion brand with soccer player Héctor Bellerín. He argued that sustainability is a mindset - requiring deep, continuous experimentation, deliberate pauses, iterative methods, and a willingness to challenge industry norms and reevaluate consumption cycles. He emphasized that technology can be a valuable ally for creators seeking to make their processes as responsible as possible, and that innovation need not conflict with traditional methods of creation. Through design, production, and discourse, the studio aims to challenge fast consumption and promote a more mindful practice, guided by the principle of "Not-Ready-To-Wear."
Xavier Llarch, from The Decorators concluded with a reflection on community-centered design within institutional constraints. He advocated for a multidisciplinary, process-driven approach that embraces unpredictability and prioritizes local voices, even when outcomes are uncertain or challenge conventional expectations. Emphasizing the value of observation and research, he highlighted how site-specific knowledge, skills, and relationships shape meaningful interventions. He ended with a provocation: "Who has the luxury to experiment?"
PROCESS! emphasized that experimentation in design goes beyond novelty, form, or material. It involves collaboration among stakeholders at various stages of a project and values research, improvisation and the fusion of technology with craft in the creative process. The lectures encouraged students, practitioners, and educators to question their methods and to approach the process itself as a critical, ethical and imaginative space. As IE School of Architecture and Design looks ahead to its 2025–2026 theme "CRAFT AND CARE", one question remains: How can we sustain experimental processes while deepening our commitment to resources, responsibility, context, and community?
An article by Dr. Grazielle Bruscato and Dr. Matan Mayer.