dOT-design Outdoor Texture transforms San Marco Square into a space for research and design experimentation

In the heart of Milan, between the majestic architectural complex of San Marco, from April 8 to 13, dOT-design Outdoor Texture returns, now in its 8th edition with a brand new look. The event, organised by VG crea in collaboration with EN Space network, takes place in the heart of the Brera Design District, transforming this historic place into a space for research and design experimentation.

The event dedicated to living design, with an exhibition area of more than 1,000 square meters (developed between the square, the two indoor cloisters and the garden) and the participation of many exhibitors and designers, offers an in-depth look at the material and technological research behind contemporary design.

"We have always aimed to become the "square" of relationships for companies and professionals working in outdoor/indoor design. This means bringing to life at dOT an event that works to reconcile all aspects of the supply chains involved in terms of products, but also in terms of cultural offerings and professional updating," the organisers explain.

The 2025 edition revolves around the theme of "matter", understood as the generative principle of design: from the essence of the material that defines its form, to the experiments that expand its expressive and applicative potential, to its concretisation in the finished product. Matter understood both as a structural element and as a coating, appreciated for the expressive and sensory qualities derived from textures and surface finishes.

Special attention will be paid to the evolutionary potential of the craft tradition reinterpreted in a contemporary key or in its fusion with the languages of the most advanced technologies. A dialogue between ancient knowledge and innovation, in which traditional techniques are confronted with new production processes, revealing how the hybridisation of craftsmanship and technology can open up unprecedented design scenarios. An in-depth investigation of the relationship between natural and artificial, tradition and experimentation, offering a critical and curatorial reading of current trends in outdoor and indoor design.

Site-specific installations are planned in the square in front of the church. The cloisters will feature a review of products for the outdoors, in indoor gardens, and for indoors under the porches, highlighting the increasingly stimulating relationship between indoors and outdoors: furniture, lighting, taps, flooring and wall coverings, textiles, tubs and pools, artificial greenery, roofing, pots and accessories, kitchens and barbecues, etc.

A significant contribution to the project debate comes with dOT MATERICA, the new exhibition format set up in the Small Cloister, curated by Sabina Antonini and Alessandra Coppa. This curatorial space aims to explore the role of matter as a foundational element of architecture and design through an exhibition that highlights research, innovation and concrete applications in the realisation of microarchitecture conceived with the help of artificial intelligence.

The protagonists of this section are four leading project realities-ATI Project, Lombardini22, Progetto CMR and Studio Marco Piva-who were asked by the curators to create the concept of a mostly mono-material microspace to support tourist accommodation facilities in close contact with nature. It will also be a great opportunity to see the result of a dialogue between architecture and AI.

The second stage of dOT MATERICA will take place as part of Greenscape, the outdoor area of the InOut event in Rimini in October, where the architects themselves will present the 1:1 scale microspace on display. It will be an opportunity to delve into the design process and touch on material experimentation, highlighting the dialogue between concept, technology and concrete application.

Also in the small cloister, dOT EXPERIENCE will offer an immersive setting dedicated to the world of wine tasting. More than just a lounge, it will be a space designed to stimulate all five senses: a visually evocative setting enhanced by materials and surfaces to touch, evocative scents, engaging sounds and refined flavours.

The heart of this display will be Cohabitare, an immersive installation signed by the design studio Formafantasma for Maison Perrier-Jouët, created within the Maison's vineyards to celebrate the biodiversity of the Champagne region. The work will be narrated at dOT-design Outdoor Texture, bringing to Milan an experience that interweaves design, nature and sustainability.

On the occasion of this edition, the dOT INTERVIEW format returns, a rich programme of meetings and video interviews with designers and architects on the theme addressed in this edition, namely the complex relationship, in their designs, in the use of natural and artificial materials. The interviews will be immediately visible on EN Space network social channels.