1.
Co-designing a real-world laboratory
for systemic design in the Italian Alps:
How complexity shapes the process.
Tobias Luthe
ETH Zurich
MonViso Ins6tute

2.
Vision & Goals

3.
Vision & Goals

4.
Vision & Goals

5.
Real-World Laboratory Research

6.
What brought you to Ostana – and what may keep you there?
New highlanders
People who deliberately opt for a life in the
mountains and contribute in many cases through
entrepreneurship to an integral village life (Löffler et
al. 2014)

7.
Design Principles

8.
TradiKonal systemic design lessons
Keep the exisKng where possible

9.
Innovate from outside and from within

10.
Cradle-to-cradle design soluKons

11.
Diffusion-open wall systems with natural venKlaKon
Re-think leading sust. building standards (e.g. Passive House)

12.
Work progress journal

13.
TradiKon meets InnovaKon
Challenges? Engineering Design – Social transdisciplinary support

14.
Constant joint problem framing
Building mutual trust

15.
DemonstraKng the vision before changing the exisKng
Gain mutual respect and TD support, long-Kme

16.
Social complexity
Mapping the support by the Ostana community network (N=44)
Layout clustered by openness for change
(core is very supportive, periphery less)

17.
-

18.
Abandoned areas need to regain a resilient economy
Smaller, more diverse, flexible, adapKve > circular

19.
Aktuelle SituaKon
• bzgl zahlen und grössenordnung der ströme
Löffler, R. et al. (2014). New Highlanders in Tradi6onal Outmigra6on Areas in the Alps, JAR, 102-3

20.
Crisis and system breakdown

21.
Strengthened re-organizaKon aer crisis

22.
A visionary mayor dedicated to re-build the community
provides the basic infrastructure and space for new
crea6ve minds, projects and fundings

23.
Rebuilding a community – the social hub and meeKng point
crea6ng the cafe and Rifugio Galaberna to welcome both
guests and the local community

24.
Rebuilding a community – poly-funcKonal building
a cultural center for local people, visitors, entrepreneurs,
co-workers and group ac6vi6es

25.
Complexity IllustraKon #1
Mobility challenge – TD students course – Incen6ve - Fabrica6on – (Local) percep6ons

26.
Complexity Illustra6on #2
Re-growing industrial hemp
as an incubator for
designing a circular economy

27.
Hemp sign

28.
Systemic Design: Research, Doing, Experience
A typical RWL context

29.
Complexity IllustraKon #3

30.
TradiKon vs. InnovaKon for Sustainability?
Mimic the old with new technology – a solu6on shaped by complexity

31.
Stone plates visibility vs. grey coloured PV cells at overhang
Modern overhangs & insulaKon require new soluKons

32.
Complexity shapes the design process
The doing and the demonstraKon of systemic design are
interwoven and feedback into each other, which make the
process quite complex, leading to conceptually less-systemic
design decisions that actually only demonstrate the reality in
doing systemic design in a real-world sebng.
Thus, the inherent complexity that becomes obvious only in
the doing is shaping the process of developing the MVI.

33.
Scales of TransformaKons
Abandoned houses – compound – community – valley - region

34.
Wrap.up
Systemic Design challenge: merge local tradi6ons with techn.-social innova6on
Constant TD problem framing on mul6ple scales (locals, academics, industry,
poli6cs, users)
Complexity shapes the design process and results in intended real-world se^ng
InvitaKon
Co-design and engage with feedback, ideas, workshops, bringing students,...
Visit the MonViso Ins6tute next 6me you are in the Torino area