At Maker Faire Rome 2025, design becomes a refuge. From October 17 to 19, at the Gazometro Ostiense, IED Rome presents Design That Endures, a collection of earthquake-resistant furniture developed by Product Design students in collaboration with CNR-IBE. Tables, beds, and shelves transform into protective structures, showing how design can provide a tangible response to one of the most urgent challenges of our time: seismic safety.
Coordinated by designer Mauro Del Santo, with the support of Marco Fellin and researcher Edoardo Giacobbo, the students designed furniture inspired by the LifeShell system developed by the CNR, based on X-LAM wooden panels capable of withstanding the weight of debris. But safety here is not only physical: some projects include visual or sound systems for emergency communication, while others integrate first-aid kits and water reserves, turning design into a tool for connection and calm in critical situations.
At the IED booth, visitors will be able to test the prototypes on a vibrating platform simulating an earthquake, to experience their resistance firsthand. Among the projects on display, ArchiSafe by Giovanni Iannone, Eraclea La Rocca, and Vittoria Trizzino reimagines office tables as protective modules; Firefighter Shelf by Julia Schmid, Valerio Rondoni, and Alessandro Randazzo integrates spaces for emergency kits; and Pesos, by Pietro D’Orazi and Sofia Schirrmeister, transforms the school desk into a collaborative and safe system.
The MNM Series by Nicolò Frabetti, Massimo Gentile, and Manuel Pacelli adapts X-LAM for public spaces, while Samuele Armenia proposes tabletop accessories for emergencies, including lamps and multifunctional containers. All projects are open-source, shareable, and replicable by anyone.
“We asked the students to design objects capable of saving lives, starting from the most ordinary ones,” explains Del Santo. A vision that gives design back its most human value: to protect and improve everyday life. At Maker Faire 2025, even a table can become a refuge.
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