During Barcelona Design Week 2026, Next Gen Design brought together young European creatives, design professionals and wider audiences through a programme focused on experimentation, prototyping and exchange.
Aligned with this year’s Barcelona Design Week theme, PRO-TEST: Prototyping & Testing, the programme combined an international design residency, two EDU Talks and the Barcelona stop of the “Futures Worth Living” Traveling Exhibition.
Turning food waste into design
From 19 to 22 October, 10 young designers from across Europe took part in an intensive residency at IAAC / Fab Lab Barcelona.
Working in five interdisciplinary teams, they responded to a real challenge proposed by the Institut de Gastronomia de Barcelona (IGB): transforming food waste generated by the school’s kitchens into table elements capable of making its BeGood circularity programme visible to restaurant guests.
After four days of fieldwork, material experimentation, mentoring and prototyping, the teams presented their proposals to an international jury.
N-uovo, by Giulia Principe and Niki Riehs, received the first prize; CIRCULTIVATE, by Jesica Balakumar and Eugenio Costa, the second; and ZERO WASTE, FIVE SENSES, by Ayse Asena Bacaksiz and Moritz Schmid, the third.
Opening the conversation: EDU Talks
The programme continued with two Next Gen Design EDU Talks, opening the conversation to the wider Barcelona Design Week community.
In Design Like a Renegade: Designing from Belief, Not a Brief, Emile Smeenk reflected on curiosity, conviction and the courage to challenge conventions as drivers of innovation.
Juan Umbert, in The Art of Validation. Why Every Great Idea Needs a Prototype, explored prototyping as a mindset based on experimentation, learning and continuous improvement.
Together, both talks invited the audience to consider how ideas can move from questioning and imagination to testing and meaningful change.
50 projects, 50 perspectives
From 22 to 24 October, the “Futures Worth Living” Traveling Exhibition presented the 50 projects selected through the second Next Gen Design Open Call at UNDERGROUND BDW, welcoming 1,795 visitors.
Covering topics ranging from care, materials and food futures to biodiversity, shared spaces and technology, the exhibition showcased how a new generation of European designers is responding to contemporary challenges.
Its inclusion in the Barcelona 2026 World Capital of Architecture programme and connection with 48h Open House Barcelona also extended Next Gen Design beyond its traditional design audience, reaching students, professionals and architecture enthusiasts.
Four intense days of making, questioning and sharing ideas — all connected by one common ambition: to prototype futures worth living.
