"The Interiors of Humanitarian Design" investigates the use of emerging technologies, design processes, and political science knowledge to address humanitarian crises, with a particular emphasis on interior spaces. This interdisciplinary course aims to find innovative solutions and improve the living conditions of individuals affected by humanitarian emergencies. 

Contemporary conflicts are more frequent and protracted, refugee flows are rapidly destabilizing geopolitical structures, and humanitarian actors are under growing threat. Considering these challenges, the course is structured around experimental action research, in which international relations scholars will collaborate with architects, engineers, and others to co-design three technological innovations intended to improve humanitarian practice and conditions. The goals of the course are: 1) to explore how we can better integrate 'high theoretical' and 'critical' social scientific concepts and theories into the realm of practice, including humanitarian work, 2) to examine the potential for closer collaboration between social sciences and engineering, architecture, and design practices and knowledge, and 3) to address the urgent task, particularly in light of recent geopolitical events, of working collaboratively across disciplines to improve the conditions of the world's most vulnerable populations.

This course is part of an ongoing collaboration between the Geneva Graduate Institute, the University of Copenhagen, the Department of Interior Architecture at HEAD – Genève, and the EssentialTech Lab at EPFL Lausanne. It includes contributions from partners such as Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Terre des Hommes, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as partnerships with research institutions in Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.