The 2026 Italian Design Day took place today in Tripoli, organized by the ITA Tripoli Desk in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in Libya and the Libyan Board of Architecture, as part of the Urban Forum, the country’s main event dedicated to urban planning, architecture, and sustainable development.
The initiative, inspired by the theme “Re-Design: Regenerating Spaces, Objects, Ideas, and Relationships,” brought together institutions, professionals, companies, academics and students to promote dialogue on Italian excellence in design, architecture, and urban regeneration.
The centrepiece of the event was an ideas competition for Libyan university students, who were asked to design the redevelopment of a stretch of Tripoli’s waterfront with innovative and sustainable solutions. The winning project will be awarded a training programme in Italy, including an internship at the company Tacca Glass, a study tour dedicated to Made in Italy excellence, and training activities promoted by the ITA-Desk with the support of Tacca Glass and Special Metal.
The day opened with institutional speeches by the Ambassador of Italy to Libya, Gianluca Alberini, and the representative of the Libyan Board of Architecture, who highlighted the strategic value of Italian-Libyan cooperation in the fields of architecture, design, and urban planning to support the country’s development and regeneration processes. The programme included masterclasses by designer Leonardo Talarico, Ambassador of Italian Design Day, and Professors Arenghi and Tanghetti of the University of Brescia, focusing respectively on industrial design, the promotion of Italian rationalist architecture in Libya, and inclusive and sustainable design. Italian companies Tacca Glass and Special Metal presented examples of manufacturing excellence and innovation applied to materials.
The event concluded with a networking opportunity for institutions, universities, companies, and students, and an exhibition dedicated to Italian architecture in Tripoli, bearing witness to Italy’s and Lybia’s shared historical heritage.
