DADU PNRR Active Orientation Course 2025/2026

Approximately 80 students in the final two years of upper secondary education took part in the active orientation course What Does It Mean to Design? Architecture, Design and Urban Planning, organised by the University of Sassari within the framework of Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and delivered by the Department of Architecture, Design and Urban Planning (DADU) between March and June 2026.

The course provided participants with the opportunity to explore the world of design through DADU's educational approach, introducing the Department's principal disciplinary areas and the different scales at which design operates. Activities ranged from urban planning and territorial development, to architectural design, spatial composition and the visual and chromatic interaction between natural light and surfaces, through to product and communication design.

Conceived to support students in making informed choices about their future university studies, the programme combined short introductory lectures with a series of hands-on studio activities in which participants engaged directly with design methods and tools, working both independently and in small groups. This participatory approach enabled students to gain first-hand experience of DADU's teaching methods while developing an understanding of the knowledge and skills required in the professions of the architect, the urban planner and the designer.

The course was structured around three thematic sessions:

• Urban Planning – Designing from the City to the Territory
• Architecture – Composition and Representation
• Design – From Product Design to Communication Design