Human-Centered Heritage: A Daciano da Costa-Inspired Framework for Transcultural Design Education in Tunisia

Abstract

This study examines how Daciano da Costa’s human-centered design philosophy can serve as a transcultural framework for integrating Tunisian craftsmanship and sustainability into design education. Employing a comparative cross-cultural analysis, the study examines three corpora: Daciano da Costa’s canonical projects, traditional Tunisian craft artifacts, and contemporary Tunisian design education syllabi. The findings reveal a profound conceptual alignment between Daciano’s principles material honesty, tectonic expression, and user-centricity and the implicit values of Tunisian craft. However, a significant methodological gap was identified in formal design education, where craft is often treated as a historical subject rather than a living methodology. The study concludes that Daciano da Costa’s work provides a vital methodological bridge, enabling a “Daciano-Craft Dialectic” that can inform a more sustainable, critically engaged, and culturally-grounded design pedagogy for Tunisia. This approach empowers students to draw on their cultural heritage as a primary source of innovation, moving beyond imported design paradigm.