This study presents and reflects on the experiences of three design studios in various undergraduate programmes in China, Turkey and Colombia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study identifies adaptive and transformative strategies and acts implemented in these scenarios to respond to rapidly changing circumstances. Consequently, this study is aimed at educators and administrators in design programmes, design researchers and the wider design and higher education (HE) communities. A descriptive multi-case study design was applied to describe several instances of a contemporary phenomenon within its natural environment. In these case studies, the authors present and reflect on their teaching experiences before, during and after the pandemic. The authors identify the following adaptive and transformative strategies and acts that contributed to creating resilient, sustainable and inclusive learning environments during the pandemic: (1) redesigning the curriculum as an emergent phenomenon; (2) adapting the project brief and adjusting learning expectations; (3) expanding the instructor’s role in the studio; (4) renegotiating the boundaries between students and instructors; (5) increasing awareness about students’ mental health and well-being; (6) adopting new tools, materials and techniques, and adapting the existing ones; (7) implementing new methods for communicating with the students. This article contributes to the existing discussions about the future of design education. The findings can help plan future design curricula that are adaptable, flexible and responsive to change. Such curricula can better address different student needs, whose educational experiences can have longer-lasting effects through their contributions to society upon graduation. In this cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural study, authors use resilience, sustainability and inclusivity as lenses to analyse their respective contexts. Even though these categories have been used independently or in combination to approach educational phenomena in the past, this is the first study that applies them in the context of design studio education.