Opening of the international Maintain Mountains project

On Thursday (March 26, 2026) at 5:00 p.m., the Italian Cultural Institute in Warsaw (72 Marszałkowska Street) will host the opening of the “Maintain Mountains” exhibition. The exhibition is the result of a collaboration between Professor Jan Piechota ofPJAIT andthe School of Design at the Politecnico di Milano. This project is an official part of this year’s Winter Olympic Games in Milan.

During the official opening of the exhibition, there will be an opportunity to speak with its curators—Emilio Lonardo from the School of Design at the Politecnico di Milano and Jan Piechota from the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology.

Maintain Mountains focuses on the importance of design in strengthening the long-term resilience of mountain communities in the face of environmental, social, and economic changes associated with the organization of large-scale events.

The exhibition features concepts, prototypes, and visualizations developed during two intensive workshops held in Warsaw and Milan, with a particular focus on the Sondrio and Valtellina regions.

The exhibition features panels, video materials, models, and prototypes that document the results of the design work and illustrate various possible directions for the development of the proposed solutions. Following its premiere in Milan, held March 9–13, 2026, as an official Cultural Olympiad event accompanying the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the exhibition is also being presented in Warsaw, serving as a starting point for reflection on the role of design in building more resilient communities.

We cordially invite you to the opening and to visit the exhibition!

Scientific Coordination:
For the School of Design at Politecnico di Milano:
Francesco Scullica, Elena Elgani, Emilio Lonardo, Massimo Duroni

For the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology:
Ewa Satalecka, Jakub Karpoluk, Jan Piechota

General and Operational Coordination:
Anne Schoonbroodt, Elena Elgani, Emilio Lonardo

Partner Institutions
Politecnico di Milano – Scuola del Design
Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology
L’École de Design Nantes Atlantique
Strate, School of Design
Technische Hochschule Köln
Escola Superior de Design, IPCA
University of Aveiro

Faculty Involved |
Warsaw Workshop:
Emilio Lonardo, Massimo Duroni | Politecnico di Milano – Scuola del Design
Jakub Karpoluk, Jan Piechota | Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology
Simon Lozac’h | L’École de Design Nantes Atlantique
Pedro Regadas | Escola Superior de Design IPCA

Workshop in Milan | Milan Workshop:
Emilio Lonardo | Politecnico di Milano – School of Design
Jakub Karpoluk, Jan Piechota | Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology
Hugo Palmares | Escola Superior de Design IPCA
Emna Kamoun | Strate École de Design

The Maintain Mountains workshops were organized as part of the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP).

The Maintain Mountains project is a joint initiative of seven European universities:

• Politecnico di Milano – School of Design (Italy),
• Polish-Japanese Academy of Computer Technology (Poland),
• L’École de Design Nantes Atlantique (France),
• Strate, School of Design (France),
• Cologne University of Applied Sciences (Germany),
• Escola Superior de Design, IPCA (Portugal),
• University of Aveiro (Portugal).