From the 6th to the 10th of March, five teachers of the HMC college of Amsterdam and Rotterdam and three managers from Dutch companies (Fiction Factory, Baars and Bloemhofd and TheNewMakers) were in Lentate sul Seveso, Lombardy (Italy), for a mobility. The topic addressed during the mobility were the development of educational tools using augmented reality and digital printing, the implementation of environmental sustainability practices in wood-furniture companies and schools, and the advancement of prefabricated wood construction. During the days, the activities were carried out through work sessions at the ASLAM headquarters in Lentate sul Seveso, with visits to companies in the furniture sector, addictive manufacturing, prefabricated wood construction, and the production of semi-finished product from the recovery of wood waste. Also it was planned a speech by the Engineer Carolina Finocchiaro, a specialist in prefabricated wood construction promoted by CEIPES and a panel discussion at FederlegnoArredo headquarters with several experts on the topic of sustainability, including Anna Pellizzari of Materially and Omar Degoli of FLA.

Specifically, on the first day, participants arrived at the ARTWOOD ACADEMY office which hosts ASLAM courses related to wood-furniture sector. There was a discussion of the training chain that extends from the first year of IeFP to ITS, the framing in the EQF framework and the comparison with the Dutch system. In addition to these topics a special focus was also made on a description of the school/enterprise relationship and opening a wide debate on the skills provided by the school vs. those required by the world of work. The second morning included a visit to the CARACOL AM company, which is specializes in the construction of robotic system for 3D printing and the production of large-scale printed elements for the furniture, aerospace, marine, and automotive sectors. CEO and Co-Founder Alessandro Distefano and his staff illustrated the technological, strategic and operational aspects of the company with a focus on the issues of process sustainability guaranteed by Additive Manufacturing compared to traditional construction systems. In the afternoon, a visit at LEMA SpA one of the leading companies for the production of designer furniture. Thanks to the guidance of the company’s president, Angelo Meroni, it was possible to visit the production department, technical offices and show room, being able to appreciate the automated process for the construction of furniture, governed by a management system integrated with design, raw materials warehouse, production, painting, assembly and packaging. The company’s policies regarding sustainability were again discussed in depth, bringing out the commitment to optimize production to minimize waste, the use of glues and paints with low environmental impact, and the use of FESC-labeled wood raw materials.

The second day held entirely at ARTWOOD ACADEMY was devoted to a workshop on the use of Virtual and Augmented Reality as an educational tool. Conducted by ARTWOOD lecturer Ruben Sagone, it consisted of an explanation of how the available software works and their opportunities for use. Afterwards, the participants were guided in the creation of an exercise; the testing phase followed in the afternoon. Also, in the evening the Dutch delegation and a selected group of Italian companies were hosted for a networking aperitif at the residence of the Dutch Consul in Milan, Ms. Mascha Baak. The third day was dedicated to the topic of lego constructions in Italy and their impact. Carolina Finocchiaro, Engineer & Architect, in a video conference illustrated the state of the art of wooden constructions, highlighting their advantages, especially in terms of environmental and economic sustainability, compared to traditional construction, bringing numerous examples of buildings built in Italy. At the end of the link, the discussion on the topic continued, especially in terms of exposing the pros and cons related to the building headquarters of ARTWOOD ACADEMY which is entirely prefabricated in wood, after five years of use. In the afternoon, visit to AB LEGNO in Tradate, a company specializing in the construction of prefabricated wooden buildings. Arch. Alessandro Villa and his staff explained the company’s activities, showed the production departments and led participants on a tour of the construction site of a house under construction. The training continued with a trip to Viadana (MN) to visit one of the industrial plants of the Mauro Saviola Group, one of the world’s leading companies for the production of panels through the use of recycled wood from urban collection centers, industry and forestry activities. The visit, led by Stefano Saviola, grandson of the founder, was preceded by an explanation of the Group’s activities, which not only produces panels but also many of the raw materials needed to make them.

Finally, hosted by FederlegnoArredo at its Foro Buonaparte headquarters in Milan, we participated in a full-bodied conference on the theme of environmental sustainability, introduced by an overview by Chiara Terraneo on the Federation’s commitment to supporting environmental issues and the circular economy in the wood-furniture sector, and fueled by speeches by Omar Degoli sector manager at FLA; Anna Pellizzari and Veronica Sarbach of Materially, a “materials library” available to companies and designers; Elisabetta Picariello, head of the circular economy survey conducted by FLA among furniture companies; Giorgia Von Berger; and several other industry experts who enlivened the discussion for nearly three hours. In the afternoon, a guided tour of the Compasso d’Oro Museum was organised, a coveted award given by the Italian Design Association to Italy’s most significant industrial design projects. The participants were very enthusiastic about the activities carried out soon mobility dedicated to students will take place.