Designing encounters: Migliore+Servetto’s vision
In this episode of Behind, architects Mara Servetto and Ico Migliore share how their work transforms cultural spaces into places of dialogue, identity, and collective experience.
Mara Servetto and Ico Migliore, founders of the Migliore+Servetto studio, have spent over three decades shaping an idea of architecture and design as tools for transformation. Their projects go beyond aesthetics or function, focusing instead on generating empathy, influencing behavior, and enriching the urban experience. With a strong sensitivity to cultural and social change, they create spaces that connect people, foster awareness, and become active parts of everyday life.
Both Mara and Ico trained as architects, with Mara studying at the Polytechnic of Turin before making Milan her home, while Ico’s journey led him naturally into the vibrant, experimental culture of Italian architecture. Together, they founded Migliore+Servetto with a clear ambition: to see design not just as an object or a building, but as a living, evolving entity intimately tied to people’s behaviors.
Their projects are not static creations—they are designed to be experienced over time. “We are very interested in what happens around the objects, architectures, or signs we design,” explains Mara. “We care about aesthetics and functionality, but even more about the empathy that arises between the project and its users, and the dynamics it generates.”
For the studio, the traditional relationship between form and function is no longer sufficient. Today, the emphasis lies on creating a more emotional, multisensory relationship with spaces. Design and architecture should heighten awareness, enrich lives, and shift the way people relate to the world around them. Innovation, they argue, is not about aesthetics alone—it must have a social dimension. “Innovation, for us, is only social innovation—an innovation that changes people’s behavior,” says Ico.
A critical focus of their recent work is the transformation of cultural spaces—museums, libraries, and public squares—into vibrant, participatory environments. Modern technology plays a fundamental role in this shift. No longer confined behind walls, cultural spaces can now engage in open dialogue with the city. “Museums—and by extension, all places of culture—must contribute to the quality of urban life,” Mara explains. “They should enrich citizens, help them understand themselves, and connect with others.”
This vision requires a fundamental rethinking of the museum’s role. No longer mere repositories of artifacts, museums must become “third spaces”—places where people gather, exchange ideas, and form community bonds. Migliore+Servetto draw inspiration from the ancient Library of Alexandria, imagining museums not simply as spaces for passive observation, but as forums for active discussion and thought development.
Accessibility is another essential pillar in their design philosophy. But accessibility, they emphasize, is more than physical—it is cognitive and emotional. How does an object or space become meaningful to someone? How can it become part of their personal story? True accessibility means creating experiences that are memorable, transformative, and capable of connecting people to a broader narrative about their place in the world.
At the heart of this approach lies a commitment to integration across disciplines. For Mara and Ico, the future of design is not about isolated projects in architecture, graphics, or content—it’s about converging these fields into a unified vision. Architects, designers, planners, and even anthropologists must work together on a shared mission: to create spaces that are empathetic, inclusive, and alive.
Their final reflection captures the spirit of their studio’s work: “Design should be divergent, not convergent,” says Ico. “It should draw from many different fields and bring them into a single, meaningful moment—the moment that gives us identity, belonging, and direction on this planet.“
Through their projects, Migliore+Servetto offer a powerful reminder: design is not just about creating beautiful spaces or solving functional problems. At its best, design builds relationships—between individuals, communities, and the spaces they inhabit. It fosters dialogue, nurtures awareness, and shapes a more empathetic and inclusive future.
In a world that increasingly demands meaning and connection, their vision feels not only relevant but necessary.