On April 13–14, 2025, the international symposium Creating Environments for Health, Care and Technology was held in Milan, Italy, focusing on design-led global innovations in health and care. The event was co-hosted by the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University (AADTHU), and The Glasgow School of Art (GSA), in collaboration with The Care Lab and ELISAVA School of Design and Engineering, University of Barcelona. It was organized by the Tsinghua University Sino-Italian Design Innovation Hub.

Group Photo of Attendees

The symposium brought together experts and scholars from diverse fields, including design, medicine, nursing, education, and technology, representing China, the UK, France, Spain, the UAE, and other countries. Through keynote speeches, thematic dialogues, collaborative workshops, and exhibitions, the event fostered a multidisciplinary platform for knowledge exchange and innovative cooperation.

At the opening ceremony, Qin Chuan, Party Secretary of AADTHU, and Prof. Gordon Hush, Dean of the School of Innovation and Technology at GSA, delivered welcoming remarks. Qin reviewed the productive collaboration between the two institutions since 2009, spanning student and faculty exchanges, joint curricula, and joint research. The renewal of their partnership agreement in 2024 laid a solid foundation for deeper cooperation. Prof. Hush emphasized that the symposium not only reinforced their longstanding collaboration in design education and research but also explored new cross-cultural, interdisciplinary pathways at the intersection of care and technology.

Speech by Qin Chuan

Speech by Prof. Gordon Hush

The first day of the symposium, themed “Design Interventions in Care: Analyzing and Responding to Complex Challenges,” featured ten keynote speeches and a thematic dialogue.

The morning session, moderated by Chen Luoqi, Academic Director of AADTHU’s Office of Educational Affairs, included presentations by:

·Yang Dongjiang, Vice Dean of AADTHU, who proposed advancing design from computational intelligence to cognitive intelligence, shifting from functional optimization to emotional responsiveness to create human-centered sensory spaces.

·Don McIntyre of GSA’s Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre, who showcased how design enhances efficiency and humanized services in chronic disease management, emergency response, and data integration.

·Lekshmy Parameswaran and László Herczeg, co-founders of The Care Lab, who shared participatory design experiences in European healthcare reforms, emphasizing “human-centric” systemic transformation.

·Xu Yingqing, Director of Tsinghua University’s Future Lab, who highlighted the potential of olfactory design in elderly rehabilitation and therapeutic environments, advocating for multisensory engagement.

The afternoon session, moderated by Xiao Rong, Assistant Professor at AADTHU’s Department of Textile and Fashion Design, explored design’s multidimensional role in care systems, covering systemic innovation, sensory experiences, ecological cognition, and cultural strategies. Speakers included:

·Prof. Paul Chapman (GSA), on XR and AI applications in medical training, pharmaceutical engineering, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

·Zhou Haoming, Director of AADTHU’s Sustainable Design Institute, who drew inspiration from traditional architecture for contemporary ecological design.

·Dr. Anna del Corral and Dr. Ainoa Abella (ELISAVA), who presented research on emotional perception and spatial interaction to enhance user well-being in Spanish public hospitals.

·Liu Xin, Associate Professor at AADTHU’s Department of Industrial Design, who shared eco-sanitation system projects practices.

·Marie Coirié, co-founder of Lab-ah (France), who discussed embedded design strategies to improve care experiences in Parisian hospitals.

·Wang Yue, Professor at AADTHU’s Department of Textile and Fashion Design, who showcased digital innovations in textile recycling, intangible cultural heritage preservation, and 3D garment design.

A thematic dialogue followed, where panelists debated “How Design Bridges Humanity and Technology,” addressing AI’s emotional capacity, systemic gaps in care, ethical boundaries for designers, and cross-sector collaboration.

The second day, “Design-Driven Care Innovation: Exploring and Mapping Future Opportunities,” featured a keynote by Dr. Sandra Neves (LIDA Lab, University of Minho, Portugal) on digital healthcare ethics, patient rights, and clinical trust. Attendees then engaged in breakout discussions on:

·The evolution of design education.

·AI and care ethics.

·Multidisciplinary collaboration frameworks.

·Leveraging traditional wisdom for future health challenges.

In closing, Prof. Hush underscored care and health as pivotal to design’s future, thanking AADTHU for its support and highlighting Scotland’s commitment to global innovation. Qin Chuan reaffirmed AADTHU’s dedication to “global vision, local action,” announcing another international education conference in Milan that November and inviting attendees to continue the dialogue.

The symposium exemplified the growing role of design in health and care globally, aligning with AADTHU’s mission to “root in China, engage with the world.” Leveraging platforms like the Sino-Italian Design Innovation Hub, the academy will further integrate education, research, and social impact to advance human-centered technological innovation.

Institutional Background
AADTHU and GSA are leading institutions in art and design education. In the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject, AADTHU ranked 14th globally (1st in Asia) and GSA 12th in Art & Design. Since 2009, their partnership has fostered sustained collaboration in education, research, and practice. The Care Lab drives systemic design for global care reform, while ELISAVA is a pioneer in well-being design, service innovation, and international education.