Dezeen School Shows: an education site incorporating "space, shape and function" to support children's emotional needs is among the projects from Florence Institute of Design International.

Also featured is a domestic violence shelter for women and a meditation and martial arts studio.

Florence Institute of Design International

Institution: Florence Institute of Design International
Course: BA Interior Design
Tutors: Federico Grazzini, Giovanni Pierantoni, Alex Amador, Silvia Scarponi and Chiara Sabatini

School statement:

"FIDI is an international design school located in the centre of Florence, Italy.

"The Design Research Project and Building Systems courses are held during the final year of the three-year Interior Design programme.

"Each design proposal is approximately 3,000 square metres and is developed individually by each student in relation to societal and cultural developments, with an emphasis on sustainable solutions.

"Renderings, plans and sections are accompanied by extensive studies of building system design, lighting acoustics and casework details.

"The three-year programme offers intensive curriculum teaching on various aspects of interior design to acquire advanced skills and knowledge, and develop professional practitioners within the international design community.

"The course results in a validated bachelor degree, BA (Hons) Interior Design, issued in collaboration with Goldsmiths, University of London."

Il Filo Rosso by Angelica Negri

"Exploring the foundation of human connection and the environments that strengthen it, Angelica Negri's Il Filo Rosso connects the individual, across multiple generations, to a sense of community.

"Negri focuses on how empathy and a shared thread of existence are cultivated through interlocking, intersecting and extruding elements in space. Each relationship offers both a tangible and psychological experience of interconnectivity for visitors.

"These relationships are highlighted using materials with complementary contrast, as bold colours create connectivity through vibrancy and tension, much like human interaction itself.

"Negri creates 'Il Filo Rosso', the Red Thread, as an anchor throughout her project, ushering the visitors along the thread in both subtle and obvious ways.

"This element intersects with the shapes and paths of the space encouraging individuals to constantly return to the shared experience.

"The programme for Il Filo Rosso includes spaces for all ages, from sleeping quarters and dining hall to a children's rest and play areas."

Student: Angelica Negri
Course: BA Interior Design
Tutors: Federico Grazzini, Giovanni Pierantoni, Alex Amador and Lorenzo Banchini

Villaggio Dell' Abbraccio by Noelle Berkman

"In creating Villaggio Dell' Abbraccio, Noelle Berkman aims to design a home for those living with dementia. Exploring what creates comfort in our surroundings, Berkman distils the psychology of a human embrace and further the sensory experience of connection.

"She builds these intangible, sense-based experiences into space through elements like nested circulation plans that create a sensation of being enveloped, as well as multiple intersection points that encourage necessary connection along walking paths.

"Berkman's design echoes these elements through repetition across the site, offering residents a sense of security through familiar spatial relationships and continuous reminders of 'home'.

"This concept radiates visually through a warm colour palette, offering a monochromatic foundation with contrasting elements of greenery and other sensory-oriented objects.

"The programme of Villaggio Dell' Abbraccio offers its visitors a wide range of services from medical spaces, a private library space, a communal restaurant, multiple piazzas and more.

"In creating the Villaggio Dell'Abbraccio complex, Berkman offers a home filled with sensory experiences that remind residents of core connection and comfort."

Student: Noelle Berkman
Course: BA Interior Design
Tutors: Federico Grazzini, Giovanni Pierantoni, Alex Amador and Lorenzo Banchini

Aika by Victoria H Alsayed

"Aika is a therapeutic centre built around a connection as old as time, the bond between dog and human.

"Through her space, Victoria Alsayed aims to translate the love and loyalty shared with canine companions into architecture. Alsayed proposes three gestures in space throughout Aika: carving, overlapping and spatial expansion.

"These elements create a sense of refuge, a suspension in time, and limitless potential for each visitor. Alongside these elements the material palette of Aika offers a sense of energised tranquility through a combination of bright and muted tones.

"Alsayed also utilises highly tactile materials to define each portion of space from custom washi paper coverings and silver-grey travertine trims to cork and plywood paneling.

"Aika's programme includes indoor and outdoor areas for both animals and visitors to experience, as well as a communal cafe, lounge area and multiple residency areas for visitors to stay."

Student: Victoria H Alsayed
Course: BA Interior Design
Tutors: Federico Grazzini, Giovanni Pierantoni, Alex Amador and Lorenzo Banchini

Nido by Shivangi Agarwal

"Through the creation of Nido, The Nest, Shivangi Agarwal introduces a space of safety for women, like herself, who understand the impact of refuge in the face of domestic violence.

"Architecturally, the space builds trust with its visitors through nested shaping and interconnected corridors, balancing alignment with independence.

"Agarwal utilises a monochromatic material palette of neutral tones to maintain a calm and grounding atmosphere. Nido's programme includes residential areas for longer stays, multiple workshop spaces, a kindergarten for those who come with children, fitness areas, a communal kitchen and more.

"Nido is a space built to support the person you are when you arrive while encouraging the individual you hope to become through the comfort of a safe home and community."

Student: Shivangi Agarwal
Course: BA Interior Design
Tutors: Federico Grazzini, Giovanni Pierantoni, Alex Amador and Lorenzo Banchini

Epona by Nisrine Saffi

"Rooted in spatial experimentation, Epona is an equine-assisted therapy centre for those experiencing emotional, physical or mental health challenges.

"In her creation of Epona, Nisrine Saffi raises questions about how we can design for body language, silence and rhythm.

"Saffi explores these questions of coexistence, reflection and symbiosis through interlocking architectural forms, carved geometries and merged structures in space.

"Wrapped in a neutral material palette, the shapes of her space reflect its core values of introspective connection.

"A dialogue between textured and smooth surfaces – ribbed glass, stone and warm woods – coexist seamlessly, encouraging an atmosphere of stability within active rehabilitation.

"Epona's programme includes domestic spaces, such as a dormitory and culinary hub, as well as indoor and outdoor treatment areas like equine-friendly classrooms, therapy spaces and stables."

Student: Nisrine Saffi
Course: BA Interior Design
Tutors: Federico Grazzini, Giovanni Pierantoni, Alex Amador and Lorenzo Banchini

Ephemaura by Ko-Chin Sun

"Based on the ideas of Taoist philosophy, Ephemaura is a meditation and martial arts studio built to encourage quiet strength, flow and balance.

"Ko-Chin Sun uses the roots of impermanence and the acceptance thereof, to shape Ephemaura through breath and grounded architectural forms.

"The Florence-based space showcases traditional Chinese mortise and tenon construction as an homage to the studio's core heritage in the Wudang Mountains.

"Architecturally, Sun uses layered elements, misalignment and spatial extension to create the space with an authentic and gradual flow from reception to classroom.

"The space's material palette reflects the Taoist, nature-based, philosophy incorporating primarily wood tones throughout the studio, accented by tonal values from light whites to dark blacks for contrast.

"Ephemaura's programme includes spaces of learning such as calligraphy, meditation and martial arts studios as well as a restaurant for communal gathering and reflection.

"In her creation of Ephemaura, Sun offers a space where traditional methodology meets modern architecture allowing visitors to cultivate rooted balance and flow."

Student: Ko-Chin Sun
Course: BA Interior Design
Tutors: Federico Grazzini, Giovanni Pierantoni, Alex Amador and Lorenzo Banchini

Echo by Ana Durdevic

"A specialised school for the deaf, Echo is a place where sound and silence converge to offer solitude and growth simultaneously.

"Ana Durdevic's space offers a refuge for those who live in our vastly auditory world but require a space with more delicate levels of volume and silence.

"In her design, Durdevic incorporates both external and internal sound analyses to inform optimal shaping and site location.

"Through architectural rhythm, element repetition and spatial transparency, the design of Echo manipulates sound through expansion while creating hidden pockets of silence where needed.

"Durdevic works with a neutral material palette with strong highlights of sunlight throughout the space.

"Natural materials such as plywood and dark oak are juxtaposed to emphasise the building's circulation and zoning.

"Echo offers a programme of both educational and communal spaces such as a library, quiet zones and classrooms paired with a cafe and student hall for connection and social engagement."

Student: Ana Durdevic
Course: BA Interior Design
Tutors: Federico Grazzini, Giovanni Pierantoni, Alex Amador and Lorenzo Banchini

Fusion by Daniela Dineva

"The Fusion Youth Centre is a space designed to foster intercultural connection among people aged 15 to 25.

"In a world where migration and identity shifts define how we connect, Daniela Dineva's centre responds to a growing need for spaces that offer both personal expression and collective belonging.

"Through expansion, interlocking, and interaction Dineva translates her concept of 'One Community, Many Cultures' into architectural structure.

"Throughout the space a colour palette of complementary contrast creates a sense of collaboration amidst difference.

"This palette is threaded through various forms creating continuity of experience even as you move along the circulation paths.

"Fusion's programme offers visitors a wide variety of spaces to enjoy, ranging from a library, art studio and workshop to private counselling areas and an outdoor courtyard for reflection or social gathering."

Student: Daniela Dineva
Course: BA Interior Design
Tutors: Federico Grazzini, Giovanni Pierantoni, Alex Amador and Lorenzo Banchini

Aluma by Janna Khafaga

"Aluma is a youth centre created with the belief that beauty is not a luxury, but a crucial part of early experiences.

"Surrounded by people and expectations, young minds can often feel pressured to perform rather than to explore true presence.

"Aluma's structure is built to encourage curiosity and self-expression through a collaboration of design strategies, from carving and framing space to nesting and interlocking elements.

"Focused on creating a spectrum of beauty, Khafaga uses colour throughout her space as a tool for zoning. The variety in colour and material textures, such as yellow HD polyethylene and pink polyurethane foam, allows for the visitors to feel invigorated and attentive as they move through the space.

"Aluma's programming includes almost 30 spaces for different activities – some being movement- based such as Zumba, ballet and kickboxing classrooms as well as spaces for the arts with a music, sewing and pottery studios."

Student: Janna Khafaga
Course: BA Interior Design
Tutors: Federico Grazzini, Giovanni Pierantoni, Alex Amador and Lorenzo Banchini

Piccoli Artefici by Stella Pirchio

"Examining the question of how space can shape young minds, Stella Pirchio creates a site that rethinks the architecture behind early education.

"Pirchio aims to build a school where the baseline needs of young children are met emotionally through space, shape and function.

"The architectural forms of Piccoli Artefici are built to express protection through suspension, ownership through anchored excavation and finally connection through carved continuity between floors.

"A warm material palette creates a calming envelope to these architectural elements, fostering an inviting and safe atmosphere for exploration.

"Incorporating natural elements within the built architecture allows children to not only feel this sense of connection, but to physically establish it.

"The space offers a diverse programme of both educational and recreational spaces, ranging from formal classrooms across all subject areas to an indoor theatre and sensory playground."

Student: Stella Pirchio
Course: BA Interior Design
Tutors: Federico Grazzini, Giovanni Pierantoni, Alex Amador and Lorenzo Banchini

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and Florence Institute of Design International. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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