Designing experimental places and spaces - a virtual indepth journey
3 March - 14 April 2026
Comprising 10 DEPS founders and curator's narrated experiences in 13 virtual evening sessions of 90 minutes each, on Zoom; Tuesdays and Wednesdays 8-9.30pm CET (Ostana/Zurich) time.
This course explores how to envision, plan, design, develop, build, govern, hold and sustain experimental places and spaces. We will examine what differentiates the many existing formats—living labs, real-world labs, bioregional learning or weaving centers, eco-villages, living systems labs, and others - and support in identifying
a best-fit for the individual course participant’s visions, imaginations, questions, and plans to experiment in a direction of resilience and regeneration for a more livable personal and societal future.
The learning journey is grounded in firsthand, embodied practice and complemented by systems science. Participants will gain insight into the latest developments in transdisciplinary research, systemic intervention, systemic design, transition and transformation studies, and bioregional weaving. Together, we will reflect on the role these experimental places and spaces play in shaping regenerative futures. A rich community will facilitate further sharing and a mutual design spirit.
After an introductory first session, we will embark on the conceptual framing of the DEPS framework. This allows for a synthesis and red thread for the participants when learning in the following in-depth sharing from different DEPS projects of various lab types, in different settings and cultures, from their founders, visionaries, builders, and holders. The virtual course will close with a synthesis session, allowing us to identify “what’s in it for me wanting to embark
on such an endeavour?”.
The virtual sessions will be structured, building upon systems theory, resilience assessment, scale-linking governance, complexity didactics, regenerative practice, inner resilience, and systemic design.
The virtual course will be enriched by the possibility to expand the course and round it up with a physical field trip to some of the foundational DEPS labs, offered at April/May 2026 for selected alumni of the virtual course part.
The DEPS community of like-minded people will become its own rich group of mutual exchange and potential future projects, hosted as a sub-community in the DRRS network.
Key questions guide our inquiry:
- Why would one engage in DEPS? What is in it for me, for society?
- What are essential facets of design and experimentation in the real world?
- What types of places and space arrangements exist, and how are they differentiated? Do I need to build my own place or what ways exist to experiment, design, and rejoice in a lifestyle of transformative engagement for a more livable world?
- What are design criteria, and how can they be implemented, working toward desirable resilience and in a regenerative mindset?
- What types of experimental research and design activities do these spaces enable?
- How can such initiatives be financed, launched, and managed over time?
- What lessons can we take from practice—both successes and mistakes to avoid, looking at the entire system from envisioning to planning, financing, building, governing, living?
- Which business models and forms
of community integration are viable? - How does engaging in this work affect lifestyle, friends and family, personal growth, and professional development?
For whom?
As part of a dedicated group of engaged entrepreneurs, designers, researchers and handpicked professionals, you’ll meet the makers and doers behind four experimental places – and gain access to a vibrant global network of the DRRS program, committed to healthier ways of living and working, while contributing to some of society’s most pressing challenges.
Spanning backgrounds in academia, NGOs, startups, and public institutions, participants bring a rich tapestry of insights that deepen the embodied learning on site. This diversity not only enriches the experience but also helps expand your personal network and broaden your understanding of systemic transformation in practice.
DRRS elective for the MAS program?
Yes, counting for 2 ECTS if pre-conditioned MOOC#1 has been finished and if accompanied by a written-graphical report with a potential selection as a DRRS blog publication, plus your personal learning reflection, to be submitted after the course.
Pricing
- Regular rate - €750
- DRRS alumni (CAS MAS ETH) - €580
- MVI associaton members rate - €530
- Option „pay as you can“ available upon application.
Application to participate
Please apply by 15 Feb 2026 with this information:
– a short statement of your motivation and expectation to joining this course,
– a brief resume of your education and work experience,
– having read this preparatory article: Living Systems Labs.
We recommend taking (at least part of) MOOC#1/#2 prior to this DEPS course for our best learning experience.
Please indicate whether you are a DRRS alumni of the CAS/MAS program, or/and if you intend to become a MVI association member upon signing up for this course.
For questions and your application, please email to apply@monviso-institute.org.