Third‑year Design students at the American University in Dubai (AUD), Interior Design Department, class IDES 392 Smart Design along with their Mentors: Professor Annamaria Lambri, Chair of the AUD Interior Design Department and Dr. Poupak Parvaresh, AUD Assistant Professor of Interior Design, gained a rare, high‑impact insight into global design leadership in a workshop hosted by MERED in partnership with Pininfarina Academy.

The event featured a keynote by Giovanni de Niederhäusern, Senior Vice President of Architecture & Product Design at Pininfarina, and marked an opportunity for students to engage directly with one of the world’s most influential design firms, bridging local talent with international standards and practices.

Pininfarina has a legacy spanning more than 95 years and almost 2,000 multidisciplinary design projects across automotive, architecture, nautical, transportation, and product design sectors. The company’s design ethos has shaped automotive iconography, including decades of collaboration with Ferrari, and expanded globally into architectural and experience design with projects in Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East.

Giovanni de Niederhäusern delivered a keynote that emphasized the complexity of design in today’s world: "Every project is a dialogue between technology, culture, and human experience. When we design a car, a building, or a yacht, we ask how it will be felt, not just seen. How will someone move through it? How will it inspire them? And how will it reflect the culture and identity of the people who inhabit it? These are the questions that define 21st-century design, and they are the same questions I challenge students to ask themselves every day."

For MERED, sponsoring engagement with Pininfarina Academy is part of a broader strategic investment in the next generation of architects and designers. In 2025, the company sponsored four students to attend the Academy’s inaugural Summer School in Turin, Italy, a selective educational programme offering direct interaction with industry leaders, state‑of‑the‑art tools, and global design methodologies.

Michael Belton, CEO of MERED, said: "Investing in the next generation of architects and designers is central to how we think about Dubai’s built environment. By sponsoring students to engage directly with Pininfarina Academy, we are exposing them to design at a level that few ever experience, the intersection of craft, innovation, and cultural intelligence. These students will carry lessons from this workshop into their careers, shaping buildings, neighborhoods, and urban spaces in ways that will influence the city for decades."

Professor Annamaria Lambri, Chair of the AUD Interior Design Department and Associate Professor of Interior Design, added, "This initiative reflects the AUD Interior Design Department’s commitment to academic excellence and its global outlook. Engagement with world-class professionals and Industry, exposure to international design contexts, and critical reflections on the broader implications of design foster a deep, responsible, and impactful understanding of contemporary design practice”.

The broader growth in design and creative services in the UAE underscores the significance of this engagement. Research indicates that the UAE interior design market alone is estimated to reach USD 35 billion by 2031, with Dubai capturing a substantial share of this growth.

The MERED and Pininfarina Academy collaboration reinforces both organizations’ commitment to education, innovation, and the development of future design leaders.  Applications are now open for the 2026 Pininfarina Architecture Summer School, a two-week immersive programme in Turin exploring timeless beauty, technological innovation, and sustainable impact in contemporary architectural design.