Arianna Bionda (f), PhD in Design, is researcher and professor at the Design Department, Politecnico di Milano. Architect, sailor and yacht designer, since 2014 she is involved in teaching and research activities within the interdisciplinary research group in Yacht Design and Vessel Design, the SMaRT Lab, and the Master program in Yacht Design at Politecnico di Milano. Her research activities are mainly focus on innovative technologies and materials role in a yacht design project, their current dynamics and practices of interaction.

She is also involved in national and international research activity mainly focused on Yacht Design Digitalization and Design for Sustainability: Industry 4.0, digital technologies onboard, smart shipbuilding, design for sustainable material and technology, alternative fuel vessel design, design for circular economy, design for disassembly and for recycling, design for sustainable social innovation and sustainable business model, and design4all. Furthermore, she is vice-director of the Specialized Master in Yacht Design and Project Manager of the sports&design team ‘Polimi Sailing Team’.

About the research group in Yacht Design and Vessel Design @ Polimi
The research team is a multidisciplinary group focused on Yacht Design, Naval Architecture and Naval Interior Design crossing the Departments of Design, Mechanical Engineering, and Management Engineering, and actively collaborate with the Departments of Aerospace Science and Technology and the Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering, Architecture Built environment and Construction Engineering, for national and international researches.

Its research activity encompasses different field of applications, from design and technology forecasting to interior design, from aerohydrodynamic to propulsion systems, from construction materials to business models and industrial process. Three main research pillars bring together all the different projects and researchers’ background: Sustainability, Digital Innovation, and Knowledge Management.

Within the recent and current research activities we can highlight: Tambali-Fii (Yacht Design for Social-Tech4Sustainability, DES+DIG+ IPP Dakar), Yacht Industry 4.0 and Osservatorio Nautica 4.0 (Yacht Digital Tech Forecasting, DES + DIG), NautICS Materials (design for and with interactive, connected and smart materials, DES), LINCOLN (Smart yacht and digital knowledge management, H2020 project, DIG), Smart-Cruising (Digital Tecnology and sustainability for Cruising Vessel Design, DES), E-SHyIPS (Knowleadge Management in Hydrogen-based ships design, DIG+DES+MEC H2020 consortium), Antifouling Wrap and Biocoatings (sustainable material and production tech, DES+CMIC+industrial partners), Bio-based composites (sustainable material and production tech, DES+CMIC+industrial partners), Yacht Design for disassembly and GRP upcycling (sustainable material and production tech, DES+CMIC+industrial partners).  Furthermore, the research group manages the researches and make use of the SMART Lab, the Galleria del Vento and the Textile Hub.

The team members are involved in several didactic activities at Bachelor’s, Master and Post graduating level specialized in yacht and vessel design: at course level, they teach in the bachelor degree courses in Floating Interior Design - Lab Sintesi and Interior Yacht Design, while they manage the entire Master Bachelor’s degree in Nautical and Naval Design at Polo Marconi, La Spezia, and the Master in Yacht Design at Polidesign. Finally, the research group manages the research&sport team “Polimi Sailing Team”, bringing together students from all the Politecnico di Milano schools to compete in international yachting challenges as “1001vela cup”, “YCM offshore solar class” and “SuMoth Challenge” since 2008.