16th July 2019

THE WINNERS OF COMPETITION 2019

In the last few years we witnessed a widespread diffusion of special ceramic materials, performing both for technical and aesthetic characteristics, for interiors and exteriors applications, and realized using new all-Italian technologies that have fueled the expressive potential of designers and brands.

This phenomenon can be seen not only in publications, catalogues, sector fairs, showrooms, but also in competitions dedicated to the ceramic world and in a variety of workshops, including international ones. On this topic of both formal and technological innovation of ceramics, in particular Italian, and all its possible applications, we will dedicate on Syncronia a series of stories and insights of great interest to professionals.

In this regard, it just ended the 8th Edition of La Ceramica e il Progetto, an architectural competition promoted by Confindustria Ceramica and Cersaie with the aim of rewarding the best projects of italian architects and interior designers realized using made in Italy ceramic, in the categories of Residential, Commercial and Institutional buildings.

The jury, made up of Aldo Colonetti, Mario Cucinella, Fulvio Irace and Cristina Faedi, evaluated all the 115 projects received on the basis of creativity, functionality and aesthetic taste of the realization, taking into consideration the design, the use of ceramic material, the quality of the laying and the attention to environmental sustainability.

For the category Residential, the winner is the project Up Town - Lotto R3, Edificio a Torre in Milan by Scandurra Studio Architettura. Here the presence of ceramic material (ceramic tiles by Cotto d’Este) seems to be a sort of manifesto of the architect’s trade, revealing wisdom, knowledge and ability to know how to read materials and make them live within an articulated and complex space.

For the category Commercial, the winner is the project Italia&Amore Ristorante Mercato Enoteca in Bozen by Roland Baldi Architects with Gruppe Gut and Heike Linster. An historic 5 floors building in which Ceramica Vogue tiles become a sort of large canvas with prints of line drawings, making the most of the potential of Italian ceramics through colors, textures and finishes.

For the category Institutional, the winner is the project Riqualificazione della Stazione Ferroviaria di Elmas in Sardinia by Paolo Fadda, Marco Tradori, Michele Onali and Federico Sollai. In its new design, the Elmas station keeps the original plan, accepting new spaces in which the porcelain stoneware cladding (ceramic tiles by Caesar) is made with large-format slabs and produces a linguistic effect capable of dialoguing, in terms of materials, with the surrounding landscape.

The jury also decided to award 7 mentions, 2 in Residential (Casa SN in Noto by Salvatore Spataro Architetto; Edificio C in Aversa by Paolo De Michele), 3 in Commercial (Duomo 37 in Tivoli by Nooow Architects; Hotel CampZero in Champoluc by BladIdea; AJI - Oriental takeaway in Milan by  Maurizio Lai Architects and 2 in Institutional category (Complesso Parrocchiale di San Ponziano in Olbia by studio A1 Engineering; Nuova sede della Croce Rossa Italiana Local committee in Scandiano by Studio M2R Architettura).

The official award ceremony took place on the last 2nd of July at Salerno Maritime Station, after a conference about ceramics and architecture promoted by Ceramics of Italy in collaboration with Proviaggi Architettura.

#LACERAMICAEILPROGETTO #CERAMICSOFITALY #ITALIANCERAMIC #MADEINITALY #ARCHITECTURE

Carlo Bardelli