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Symbiotic Design Framework
Rethinking Design from Within
A systemic approach to destroy Design’s actual model and build a better world in the meantime.
Is contemporary design failing us? In an era defined by cascading crises, from ecological collapse to profound social inequality, prevailing design paradigms often feel inadequate, complicit in the very systems driving unsustainability. Dr. Gonzalo Raineri Bernain’s Symbiotic Design Framework offers a radical, theoretically robust alternative for academics, researchers, and advanced practitioners seeking to fundamentally reorient the discipline.
Specifications
Pages: 336 · Full colour interior · A4 (210 × 297 mm) · Language: English
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The Symbiotic Design Academy (SDA) specializes in delivering cutting-edge online courses in sustainable design, for a global community of designers and professionals. The academy's core theory, the Symbiotic Design Framework (SDF), was developed by Dr. Gonzalo Raineri over more than six years of intensive research.
A journey of research and global validation
The SDF is a rigorous synthesis of theoretical constructs and practical testing, validated across a prestigious selection of academic and professional stages. It began with Dr. Raineri’s PhD thesis, “Autopoietic Design,” which involved interviews with over 360 designers and a review of five hundred books to identify the framework’s core components.
- International dialogues: the framework’s core propositions were debated at the Congreso Latinoamericano de Enseñanza del Diseño in Buenos Aires (2018) and the XIV Simposio Internacional del Posgrado en Artes y Diseño (UNAM) in Mexico, then formally introduced to the global academic community at Cumulus Rome 2020.
- Global exposure: selected for an EU-funded (Next Generation EU) acceleration program in Valencia, Spain; refined during World Design Capital Valencia 2022 against a year-long pluriversity of global activities.
- Recent milestones: presented at the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Festival in Brussels (April 2024), followed by Dutch Design Week and Creative Skills Week. At the World Design Congress London 2025, a paper presenting the framework’s complete abstract was selected for the official proceedings.
Rethinking the design process
Rooted in a synthesis of design principles and the biological concept of Autopoiesis (Maturana and Varela), the SDF offers a holistic view of environmental and social sustainability — a structured guide for observing and managing the relationships within the design process, so that no critical aspects are overlooked. These “blind spots” in traditional design are often the root causes of environmental harm and social injustice.
A new chapter
Following a comprehensive overhaul of the framework during the writing of our latest book, Symbiotic Design Framework: Rethinking Design from Within, we retired our previous course catalogue to make way for a new generation of training reflecting these advanced insights — training that moves beyond linear practices and into systemic, regenerative design.
Elevate your practice: the SDF Evolution Program
In an era of ecological collapse and systemic instability, the traditional “problem-solving” model of design is not just obsolete — it is a liability. Practitioners today are trapped in Pseudo-Design: uninformed execution that prioritizes aesthetic novelty over ethical rigor and systemic health. The Symbiotic Design Framework offers a rigorous, academic departure from these linear failures, through a two-tier professional transformation from technical executor to strategic partner of the living world.
Phase 1 — SDF for Design Practitioners: from Pseudo-Design to Informed Intentionality
A 6-week intensive academic foundation in Relational Mutualism. You dismantle the habits of Pseudo-Design by mastering the 7 Components and the Four Mottos (Ethics, Sustainability, Social Responsibility, and Economics), applying the SDF to Tame Problems — challenges with clear boundaries whose outcomes can be objectively verified through the framework’s own internal logic. A high-touch, self-paced program; you graduate as an Informed Architect or Designer, able to show that every design decision functions as a “nutrient” within its specific niche. Includes direct support throughout, and a Live Private Inquiry Session in Week 6.
Phase 2 — SDF for Complex Design Dynamics: from Linear Execution to Symbiotic Partnership
An 8-week advanced program for Wicked Problems — contradictory, irreversible, systemic challenges that a linear brief cannot solve. It moves beyond the object to the Chronosystem and the Multi-scalar Hierarchy, shifting from allopoietic (externally driven) models to Autopoietic Stewardship — designing processes capable of self-production and long-term viability within the Macrosystem. Using a “dripped content” model, it prepares you to manage the Frontier and Environment dimensions where requirements are in constant flux. You graduate as a Symbiotic Steward, mastering the framework’s four concurrent movements: Situating, Diagnosis, Intervention and Calibration. Includes two Live Private Inquiry Sessions for expert calibration of your interventions.
Enrollment in either phase includes full access to the Symbiotic Design Framework text as a permanent methodological reference for your practice.
What past students said
Dmytro Bielopolskyi
Designer, Art Director, Professor — Kyiv, Ukraine
“Thanks to this introductory course I’ve received the basic understanding of the Symbiotic Design Framework. Though this is a totally new concept for me, I feel great sympathy and emotional connection to it... It was a pleasure to meet Gonzalo Raineri as an instructor and mentor.”
Dr. Rebeca Isadora Lozano Castro
Ph.D. in Design, Professor & Researcher, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas — Mexico
“The course encourages critical reflection on design, ‘from and for design with the context’, with society, with traditions and customs, with economics, with politics, without limitations...”
Lefteris Heretakis
Designer, Lecturer, Podcaster — Buckinghamshire, UK
“This is an excellent course! There is truly fresh and much needed original content and substance! A breath of fresh air! Highly recommended!!!”
Valeria Valdivia
HR Officer at Concern Worldwide — Dublin, Ireland
“Enriching learning experience! The course, though challenging, provided valuable insights into design thinking. The interactive elements kept me engaged. Overall, it is a rewarding journey for those seeking a deeper understanding of design principles.”
Jorge Prado
Principal Architect at TODO DA — New York, USA
“Dr. Raineri has presented a thoughtful, accessible and thought provoking discussion on approaching sustainable design. I recommend the course to all interested in navigating our complex sustainable design environment. Well done.”
Brendan Kilroy
Owner, Erector Sets, Inc. — Philadelphia, USA
“I was really impressed by the comprehensive approach that the Symbiotic Design Academy is teaching. Although the amount of information is immense, it is presented in a very clear format with a succinct framework to follow.”
Nothing is for sale just yet — check back soon.
After conducting workshops for more than 20 years, we have developed standardized workshops around the Symbiotic Design Framework — but we stay flexible and can generate tailored ones specific to your needs and objectives. Whether you work in a social organization, an academic institution, a government body or a private company, we can help you build a workshop that puts your project on the right path towards sustainability, in line with the UN's ESG guidelines and EU guidance.
On site and digital
Nothing is for sale just yet — check back soon.
Nothing is for sale just yet — check back soon.