MITdesignX

The Andrea Chegut Fellowship fund was established to honor the life and work of Dr. Andrea Chegut, research scientist and co-founder of the MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab and MITdesignX. The fellowship offers financial support to graduate students in the School of Architecture and Planning working on impactful ideas at the intersection of design, technology, and the human environment. Apply by April 27 at andreafellowship.mit.edu

MITdesignX 2026 cohort: Meet the teams! Introducing the MITdesignX 2026 cohort—twelve teams of innovators designing ventures from the ground up, turning bold ideas into testable prototypes, systems, and business models. The four MITdesignX teams featured here are: VisionRoad AI (slide 1) An AI-powered platform for automated roadway maintenance inspection, for airport safety and operational reliability WoodSpray (slide 2) Turning sawdust waste into a robotic, spray-applied, carbon-storing construction material Synergy (slide 3) Redesigning and redefining electric grid pylons and power line right-of-ways for community buy-in and future preparedness. JOIRA (not pictured) System engineer fusing AI with real-world physical systems—where physics, not prompts, sets the rules. 📸 slides 1–2, photos by Qingyang Xie

MITdesignX 2026 cohort: Meet the teams! Introducing the MITdesignX 2026 cohort—twelve teams of innovators designing ventures from the ground up, turning bold ideas into testable prototypes, systems, and business models. The four MITdesignX teams featured here are: Apidae Forms (slide 1) Automated and affordable construction of custom-shaped concrete. WellSpace (slide 2) An app that helps residents make small but meaningful improvements to their homes. Illume (slide 3) Lighting a path of hope for victims of human trafficking through discrete tracking wearables. Voice to Vision (slide 4) Providing effective and sustainable civic infrastructure for community engagement. Stay tuned for a post on the last group of teams. 📸 slides 1–3, photos by Qingyang Xie

Geni made its debut at Toy Fair NYC! Geni @playgeni an audio-based storytelling machine that brings imagination to life. This is the first physical AI product to spin off from @designintelligencelab . Geni started as a project in 4.043 Interaction Intelligence and we couldn’t have made it this far without the amazing support from DesignX @mitdesignx , MAD @mitdesignacademy , and MIT Architecture @mitarchitecture @mitsap @designatmit @artsatmit

Dubai Silicon Oasis hosted @mitdesignx Demo Day, marking the close of the programme’s second phase. 10 ventures presented solutions across autonomy, sustainable materials, and industrial innovation. Congratulations to Katrix, Wellmatix, and Nashid on being selected as this year’s winners. #DubaiSiliconOasis #EmpoweringBreakthroughs استضافت واحة دبي للسيليكون فعاليات يوم العروض لبرنامج MITdesignX، إيذاناً بختام المرحلة الثانية من البرنامج. استعرضت 10 شركات ناشئة حلولاً مبتكرة في مجالات الأنظمة ذاتية القيادة، والمواد المستدامة، والابتكار الصناعي. نهنئ كلاً من (كاتريكس) و(ويلماتيكس) و(نشيد) على فوزهم بنسخة هذا العام. #واحة_دبي_للسيليكون #تمكين_الإنجازات

MITdesignX 2026 cohort: Meet the teams! Introducing the MITdesignX 2026 cohort—twelve teams of innovators designing ventures from the ground up, turning bold ideas into testable prototypes, systems, and business models. The 2026 cohort launched their journey with an intensive two-week bootcamp and wrapped the week with “Mentor Matching Madness,” where teams met mentors and secured guidance for the semester ahead. The four MITdesignX teams featured here are: SoftMetrics (slide 1) A modular, plug-and-play textile measurement toolkit that brings testing to the desktop for accessible research. VISIBLE (slide 2) A territorial intelligence solution that gathers, analyzes, and predicts urban data on informal settlements in Peru and Argentina, turning fragmented data into a comprehensive vision of the territory. Aashray (slide 3) Addressing India’s unmet demand for purpose-built housing. Guará (slide 4) Transforming how multifamily affordable housing is designed, built, and operated in Brazil. Stay tuned for upcoming posts where we’ll introduce more teams and share more about what they’re building. 📸 slides 1 & 3, photos by Qingyang Xie @mitdesignx @mitsap

#AtelierLUMA #MITdesignX The MIT-LUMA Lab convened at @luma_arles this past week, bringing together researchers from AtelierLUMA, students from @mitdesignx , @mistiatmit , and research grantees from across @mitsap and beyond for an exciting week of in-person discussion. Through presentations and workshops, researchers and students brought their work into dialogue and explored opportunities for collaboration through the lens of bioregional materials, art, design and our shared responsibility in shaping more resilient futures. -- Cette dernière semaine, le MIT-LUMA Lab s’est retrouvé à @luma_arles pour une semaine passionnante de rencontres et d’échanges, réunissant des chercheur·euses d’Atelier LUMA, des étudiant·es du @mitdesignx , @mistiatmit ainsi que des bénéficiaires de bourse de recherche de @mitsap et d’autres horizons. Présentations et ateliers ont rythmé la semaine, offrant aux chercheur·euses et étudiant·es l’occasion de croiser leurs travaux et d’imaginer de nouvelles collaborations, autour des matériaux biorégionaux, de l’art, du design et de notre responsabilité commune dans la construction de futurs plus résilients. 📸 © @adrian_deweerdt / Lauren Witte

2026 MIT x LUMA ARLES @tangiblemediagroup @mitdesignx @mitmedialab @mitarchitecture @mitsap Video: @jun.youn_ #mit #luma #alres #mitxdesign

Last week, 10 undergraduate @mistiatmit students and 7 @mitsap and @mitsloan graduate students arrived in Arles for an immersion into the landscapes, materials and expertise that makes up the region. This initial exploration centered on understanding the territory’s climate and societal challenges. This exploration served as a starting point for “Innovation Week” at @luma_arles , where they’ll take their learnings and think about potential innovations to address these issues head on, using the designX methodology of design thinking and iteration. #AtelierLUMA #mitdesignx

📖 What role does design play in tackling the world’s most complex challenges — especially in an era shaped by AI, uncertainty, and rapid change? In the recently launched book "Designing the X," Dennis Frenchman (Professor Emeritus, MIT) and Svafa Grönfeldt (Professor of the Practice, MIT MAD and @mitdesignx ), with Sigurdur Thorsteinsson (@siggithorsteinsson ), make the case for design as an essential partner to science and technology: integrative, inventive, and deeply human. Drawing on seven case studies and 67 in-depth interviews across disciplines and geographies — from renewable energy to space exploration, from social equity to emerging technologies — the book reframes design not as a style or specialty, but as a way of thinking and acting in the world. As Mauro Porcini (@mauroporcini ), President and Chief Design Officer at Samsung (@samsung ), writes in the foreword: “This book speaks to the designer in all of us… It reminds us that every choice we make is a design decision.” "Designing the X" is for designers, leaders, educators, and anyone grappling with complexity — and looking for more thoughtful ways to shape what comes next. We will be sharing the introduction and first chapter on LinkedIn in the new year — stay tuned! 📘 New from MIT SA+P Press (@mitsap ) and distributed by The MIT Press 🔗 Learn more / buy the book at the link bio @mitarchitecture | @designatmit | @mit | @mitdesignacademy

What an extraordinary Final Pitch! With the conclusion of the fourth edition of the @mitdesignx Venice program, we are filled with pride for the achievements reached and the remarkable commitment demonstrated throughout this year’s journey. We extend our sincere appreciation to all those who supported us along the way, to RPLT for joining us in this meaningful experience, and to the Municipality of Venice for granting their patronage. We are equally grateful to @bancadellamarca for their continued backing and to @ostariaaebotti for providing exceptional catering. Our deepest gratitude goes to the @mitdesignx faculty. The professionalism and ever-growing dedication of Gilad Rosenzweig, the outstanding contribution of Monique Fuchs, and the thoughtful guidance of our mentors have been essential to the growth of our nine startups. Thank you to each mentor for your commitment, your expertise has truly shaped this cohort. We also wish to honor our participants: talented, motivated, and forward-thinking individuals who presented their final pitches with admirable competence and enthusiasm. We look forward to witnessing your future accomplishments. You were a wonderful group to work with, and please remember: MITdesignX stands beside you. We will always be there to applaud your milestones and support your progress. As we bring this edition to a close, we do so with a profound sense of fulfillment and with the hope that the coming year will bring extraordinary achievements for all of you. Startups of the 2025 cohort: Bi-Harvest • BrailleFly • eMomentum • Lizard • MAREA • play2match • PURIFAS • SenseAble Wood • Tunica #mit #mitdesignxvenice #mitdesignx #serendptvenezia #venice #serendpt #ricerca #research #venezia

Join us on November 20 to celebrate two new publications from the MIT School of Architecture and Planning (@mitsap ) that explore design’s impact — from shaping ideas to shaping cities. 📓 "Designing the X: Shaping an Unknown Future" (SA+P Press, @mitdesignx ) makes a compelling case for design as an essential partner to science and technology — integrative, inventive, and profoundly human. Drawing on research across disciplines and 67 in-depth interviews, authors Dennis Frenchman, Svafa Grönfeldt, and Sigurdur Thorsteinsson (@siggithorsteinsson ) illustrate how design enables transformational change, bridging creativity, systems thinking, and leadership. As Mauro Porcini (@mauroporcini ), President and Chief Design Officer at Samsung (@samsung ), writes, Designing the X “speaks to the designer in all of us” and reminds us that “every choice we make is a design decision—and that the future is not written. It is designed.” Diane Hoskins, Global Co-Chair at Gensler (@gensler_design ), calls it “a must-read for those of us looking to discover new ways of designing in this AI-enhanced design era." The book recently debuted as #1 on Amazon’s (@amazon ) Hot New Releases 👏. 📙 "Value of Design: Creating Agency Through Data-Driven Insights" (MIT Center for Real Estate) reframes how we understand design’s economic and social significance. Developed from years of research at the MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab, the book reveals how design leaves measurable traces in the built environment — showing how light, space, and form translate into real value. Authors: Andrea Chegut, Minkoo Kang (@mkangk ), Helena Rong (@helenaarong ), Juncheng “Tony” Yang. The evening will feature remarks by the authors, followed by a discussion and Q&A. Books will be available for purchase and signing. 📅 Thursday, November 20, 2025 📍 MIT Building 9-255, City Arena 🕓 5:30–7pm @mitarchitecture | @designatmit | @mit | @mitdesignacademy | @archinect