Prototype Island: Singapore unveils a living laboratory of innovation at Milan Design Week 2026

Celebrating Singapore’s bold ideas for world-building, the exhibition will explore new visions for thinking, living and designing global futures.

25 February 2026, Singapore – The DesignSingapore Council announces its return to Milan Design Week with Prototype Island at Foro Buonaparte 54, located in the prestigious Brera Design District from 21 – 26 April 2026.

Following the success of its Future Impact showcase series from 2023 – 2025, Design Singapore Council reveals an all-new exhibition concept that explores Singapore as a living prototype nation, continuously evolving, optimising and future-proofing against global challenges through the potential of design.

Demonstrating how ideas can become realities that shape everyday life through Singapore’s distinctive culture of modelling, testing and implementation at scale, Prototype Island will serveas a platform for translating possibility into practice, exemplifying Singapore’s brand of innovation and creativity.

Appointed as Lead Curator is internationally recognised Singaporean designer Hunn Wai, Co-founder of Lanzavecchia + Wai and the first Singaporean co-curator of Future Impact 3: DESIGN NATION in 2025, bringing global perspective and grounded local insight to Prototype Island. He is joined by Eian Siew as Assistant Curator, an award-winning emerging designer who debuted new work in last year’s showcase, reflecting DesignSingapore Council’s commitment to cultivating Singaporean talents.

The pair are joined by renowned curator and author, Maria Cristina Didero as the Global Perspectives Advisor, bringing an outward-looking lens that bridges Italy and Singapore – connecting cultures, contexts, and conversations.

Uniting established and emerging designers, all living and working in Singapore, Prototype Island presents exciting new ideas in response to topical global challenges. The gallery walls of Foro Buonaparte 54 will come to life with design solutions, addressing themes of care in society, the relationship between humanity and technology, contemporary reflections on heritage and more. In doing so, Prototype Island offers much-needed insights and inspiration for other global cities to shape a better tomorrow for generations to come.

Hunn Wai, Lead Curator of Prototype Island said: “Prototype Island frames design as an ongoing act of world-making, where the ambition is not resolution, but the sustained capacity to recalibrate, adapt, and reinvent under real conditions. Bringing Singapore’s flair for purpose-driven design to the fore, this exhibition will translate inquiry into action, presenting tangible responses that navigate constraint, uncertainty, and lived realities with rigour and imagination.”

Prototype Island spans a variety of disciplines, practices and forms, with designers balancing experimental methods and digital techniques alongside traditional craftsmanship, echoing Singapore’s unique approach to design and blend of cultures.

“The DesignSingapore Council is excited to debut Prototype Island this Milan Design Week, bringing Singapore’s creativity with new thinking under Hunn Wai’s curatorial direction. Singapore is a Nation by Design, one that iterates in real time and operates as a living prototype, a distinction which has shaped us into the globally recognised hub for design that we are today,” said Dawn Lim, Executive Director of DesignSingapore Council.

Prototype Island will be on display at Foro Buonaparte 54, a short distance from Sforzesco Castle. The exhibition is located in the Brera Design District, one of the most prominent areas known for its international reputation, creative atmosphere, and the presence of many design showrooms and art galleries.

Participating designers and their works will be announced shortly, alongside a programme of activations and events that will be hosted within the space.

Notes to Editors
Prototype Island is presented by the DesignSingapore Council, with Lead Curator Hunn Wai, Assistant Curator Eian Siew, and support from Maria Cristina Didero as Global Perspectives Advisor.

Press Preview: 20th April 2026, Monday, 12 – 5pm

For images and further information, please see the link HERE

Showcase details
Address: Foro Buonaparte 54, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Open daily from 10am – 7pm on 21st – 26th April 2026

About the DesignSingapore Council
The DesignSingapore Council (Dsg)’s vision is for Singapore to be a liveable, loveable, and limitless city by design. As the national agency for design, our mission is to develop the design sector to be globally competitive, champion the use of design for innovation and growth in Singapore, and make life better in this UNESCO Creative City of Design. The Dsg is a subsidiary of the Singapore Economic Development Board.
designsingapore.org

About Hunn Wai
Hunn Wai is the Director and Co-founder of Lanzavecchia + Wai, an internationally acclaimed design studio based in Milan and Singapore that has, since 2010, worked at the intersection of industrial design, spatial narrative, and luxury craft, collaborating with brands including Zanotta, Cappellini, Hermès, and Vacheron Constantin. The studio has received prestigious accolades such as the President’s Design Award (Design of the Year, 2023) and the Red Dot Award.

A recognized thought leader in contemporary design, Hunn speaks at global platforms like Milan Design Week and at institutions such as the School of Visual Arts and Rhode Island School of Design, and is an Adjunct Associate Professor and Senior Fellow at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, where he teaches Architecture, Sustainable Design, and Design & AI while leading executive training programmes.

About Eian Siew
Eian Siew is a PhD Candidate at the National University of Singapore’s Division of Industrial Design. His research sits at the intersection of healthcare innovation, product design, and materials-driven interaction, with a focus on air-based soft actuation and digital fabrication workflows. Through research-led prototyping, he translates complex material behaviour into familiar, everyday artifacts.

Since 2020, his work has received international recognition through the Red Dot Award, the James Dyson Award, and the iF Design Award, and has been featured in DesignWanted, Dezeen, Vogue Singapore, and The Peak. Since 2023, he has presented work at platforms including Singapore Design Week, Ars Electronica and Milan Design Week.

Eian continues to pursue design as a form of translation, turning complex problems and societal perceptions into approachable everyday experiences.

About Maria Cristina Didero
Maria Cristina Didero is an independent design curator, author, and consultant. She has worked for Vitra Design Museum and collaborated with magazines including Domus, Vogue Italia, and was editor-at-large of ICON Design from 2018 to 2020. She currently holds the role of Milan editor for Wallpaper* magazine. Maria Cristina has contributed to many publications and collaborated with companies such as Vitra, Lexus, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Valextra amongst others. Based in Milan, she works internationally, curating exhibitions for institutions, fairs and events dedicated to design.