ABOUT

Ricci Spaini Studio d'Architettura was founded by Mosè Ricci and Filippo Spaini. Mosè Ricci is currently a university professor educating on the subject of Urban Planning at The University of Pescara. Ricci is also a Fullbright Scholar from the School of Design at Harvard University. Filippo Spaini on the other hand, has an MArch degree from Rice University of Houston. Their projects range from full scale urban planning to conceptual architecture.
— excerpt from www.riccispaini.it

IDEAS

Main Points

• Italian designers work closely with the manufacturers. Designers who work closely with the manufacturers and workers are more likely to get inspired and innovate with great new ideas.
• Difficulties sharpen ingenuity.

HERE IS WHAT WE LEARNED

Italian design and industry, innovation can teach us something about how to do things better in Canada .

It is important for designers to work closely with the users. We design for the users and therefore, the users are the focus of our design. It is only through working closely with them that will help us understand their needs, gain insights, and innovate with ideas. We need to change our mindset that we, the designers, can do everything. We need to consider the amount of resources when we design. Good design = big idea + little resources.

KEY QUOTES

Designers-Manufacturer Close Relationship (Mose Ricci) [clip 1]

Designer[s] work very very close to the manufacturer. A lot of small industries. It's something like, it's more factory-like. In the 60s and 70s, when the manufacturing processes probably were not so complex as they are now, the designer[s] that can work near the manufacturer; near the workers, can get, can produce new ideas more more bigly than they can do now. Because what they see now you can do everything. You with plastics for example, with a lot of manufacturing processes, you can design everything and you can produce everything. It's a lack of creativity. Because the big ideas born when you have no money, no resources, and no facilities to do what you like.

Italy 's Current Design Recession (Ricci) [clip 1]

I think part of the reason of the low cycle in this is [that] the processes become so long and so when you start about a project, probably you will never see who will work on this project. One of the problem is the lack of creativity.

Designers Cannot Do Everything (Ricci) [clip 1]

Why is now so necessary to be attached to the user? Because you can gain some secrets. and we have to change our idea that we can do everything. We live in a world with shortage of resources. So we have to consider that. And a good design is also the best way to make something with the fewest energy. Big idea and least resource[s].

La difficulta l'aguzzare l'ingegno (Ricci) [clip 1]

difficulties/limitations grow/sharpen your ingenious

Shapes and Functions (Filippo Spaini) [clip 1]

When you design with shapes or images, you are in a better position than for example, when you have to use the language or other mediums?. The study of architecture and design should be very interesting for you to understand how shape[s] can communicate and be a function; or not only function, it could be an idea? or any other messages.