Alessandro Villa

Alessandro Villa is an architect and designer whose work explores the relationship between design, communication and the construction of meaning in contemporary environments. He lectures at IULM University of Communication in Milan and has long taught and contributed to postgraduate and Master programs at Politecnico di Milano and the University of Genoa. He is visiting professor, including at Tongji University in Shanghai, and regularly participates in conferences and lectures.

His research focuses on the relationship between design, innovation and brand culture, exploring how companies translate technological development into meaningful experiences, products and spaces. In this field he has collaborated on research projects with 3M, Fincantieri and FIAT Auto, investigating how design mediates between technological innovation, communication and brand identity. He has also developed research on aesthetics, surfaces and design languages in relation to the fashion system, and held a research fellowship at the INDACO Department (now Department of Design), Politecnico di Milano, focused on new visions for cosmetic product concepts and retail design scenarios.

He runs Alessandro Villa Studio, a multidisciplinary practice working across architecture and design. The studio’s work has been published internationally and has received design awards, including the Ceramic and Design Prize for the Mozzanica Headquarters project (2021) and the Designers Show award for the project Urban Skin, a concept for new-generation photovoltaic surfaces (2010).

He writes essays and articles on design, interiors and perception, addressing design as a form of knowledge that connects technical development, communication and human experience.

MAIN AREAS OF SCIENTIFIC INTEREST

Design theory and project culture
Design, innovation and brand identity
Design, perception and user experience (applied neuroscience)
Materials, surfaces and design languages

Although IULM University takes all necessary care to ensure the publication of correct, updated and complete information, it is not responsible for the contents of the curricula published online on the Portal www.iulm.it. The holder of this curriculum vitae is the exclusive guarantor and responsible for the correctness and truthfulness of the information contained therein.

Monographs
Villa, A. Seeking Sense. Perché non possiamo fare a meno di progettare. Preface by Aldo Colonetti. Santelli Editore, 2024.

Book Chapters
Villa, A. “New Natural Materials.” In Between Data and Senses: Architecture, Neuroscience and the Digital Worlds, edited by Anastasia Karandinou. University of East London, 2017.
Villa, A. “C.S.I.: colore, spazio, immaginazione.” In Colore e colorimetria. Contributi multidisciplinari, Vol. VIII/A, edited by Maurizio Rossi and Andrea Siniscalco. Maggioli Editore, Rimini, 2012.

Journal Articles
Villa, A. “Chinese Spirit.” Interni, no. 696, 2019.
Villa, A. “Materia prima.” EdA – Esempi di Architettura, vol. 4, no. 2, 2017.
Scullica, F., and Villa, A. “China Independent.” Interni, no. 656, 2016.
Villa, A. “Neurodesign.” Interni, no. 646, 2014.
Villa, A. “Vibrazioni immateriali (Immaterial Vibrations).” Interni, no. 635, 2013.
Villa, A. “Racconti superficiali (Superficial Stories).” Interni, no. 630, 2013.

Although IULM University takes all necessary care to ensure the publication of correct, updated and complete information, it is not responsible for the contents of the curricula published online on the Portal www.iulm.it. The holder of this curriculum vitae is the exclusive guarantor and responsible for the correctness and truthfulness of the information contained therein.